Amicus Society

Warrants are supposed to be narrow, specific, and based on probable cause.

Reverse warrants are the opposite. Reverse warrants are a controversial and invasive police tactic that allows the government to do widespread surveillance on everyone within a geographic area and/or timeframe without individual's consent — a blatant violation of our Fourth Amendment right.

With the incoming administration's escalating threats and President-elect Trump's pledge to immediately enact policies that target already vulnerable communities upon taking office, the use of reverse warrants is about to become much more relevant tool amidst growing attacks on our civil rights and liberties.

This critical discussion delves into the future of reverse warrants, their potential impact on civil liberties, and the safeguards we’ve already implemented to protect Delaware residents and those seeking services in our state.

Panelists include:

• John Reynolds, Deputy Policy & Advocacy Director, ACLU of Delaware (Moderator)
• Chad Marlow, Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU National
• Albert Fox Cahn, Executive Director with Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP)

Our policing and legal systems should keep communities safe, treat people fairly, and use fiscal resources wisely.

Yet more people in our state and country are deprived of their liberty than ever before — unfairly and unnecessarily, with no benefit to public safety. From instances of police violence to systemic inequities produced by overly punitive sentencing laws and guidelines to the barriers to jobs, education, and housing posed by a record — the devastating consequences of our harsh, ineffective, and costly criminal justice system have fallen overwhelmingly on low-income people and Black and brown communities.

Hear the perspective of two expert sociologists sharing their research discoveries and recommendations for police reform. Learn about what works, what doesn’t work, and what to look for in proposed reforms to create real change in policing. 

Panelists include:

• Crystal Chatman, ACLU-DE Smart Justice Ambassador (Moderator) 
• Yasser Payne. Associate Professor of Sociology and Black American Studies at the University of Delaware
• Jim Nolan, Professor of Sociology at West Virginia University 

The roadblocks pregnant people face when deciding when, how, and if they want to be pregnant seem to close in by the day.

We could say this is the full impact of the 2022 Dobbs case where Roe v Wade was overturned, but the reality is that this is not as new as you may think. What is new is the lifting of constitutional protections enabling anti-reproductive-health legislators to flood our general assemblies with new bans.

But there has been a pushback: reproductive health ballot measures have overwhelmingly shown support for the rights of pregnant people in states across the political spectrum.

This discussion provides an overview on the current state of reproductive rights across the nation and the ways it is impacting us in more than just the doctor’s office. 

Panelists include:

• Casey Danoff, ACLU of Delaware Penn Catalyst Legal Fellow (Moderator) 
• Professor Serena Mayeri, University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School
• Ming-Qi Chu, ACLU Deputy Director of the Women's Rights Project