ACLU of Northern California

Suit Protecting Native American Students Advances

April 22, 2008 PST

The ACLU-NC’s class action lawsuit on behalf of Native American middle schoolers in the small town of Klamath advanced in April when a federal judge rejected the school district’s motion to have the suit dismissed. The ACLU-NC brought suit against the school district after it closed the sixth to eighth grades at the only school in the district where a majority of students are Native American children. The closure has meant that these students must be bused for approximately three hours, round-trip, to another school.

Free Speech and Olympic Torch: Seeking Answers from the City

April 10, 2008 PST

The ACLU of Northern California has serious concerns about the city’s decision to change the route of the Olympic torch relay in an apparent attempt to avoid protestors. On April 10, the day after relay, the ACLU-NC filed a request under the Sunshine Ordinance for records on the city’s relay route planning and crowd control policies.

Campus Clubs Are on the Rise

March 24, 2008 PST

Like ACLU chapters, campus clubs are crucial civil liberties monitors and advocates in campus communities. Fall 2007 was a busy time for both established and emerging ACLU-NC campus clubs at universities and law schools around the Bay Area. New clubs have just formed at UC Davis, Golden Gate University, and UC Hastings Law Schools.

Say No to Library Internet Censorship

March 11, 2008 PST

With the growth in importance of the Internet as a pivotal means of accessing information at the library, the age-old issues of library censorship have followed.

Same-Sex Couples Have Their Day in Court

March 3, 2008 PST

In a historic case, the California Supreme Court heard oral arguments March 4 challenging the constitutionality of denying same-sex couples the benefits and protections of marriage in the state. The court will have 90 days to issue its landmark decision.

Demonstrators and the Constitution: A Legal Overview

February 13, 2008 PST

Unclear on your First Amendment rights when it comes to activities such as marching and picketing? You should know that the free speech guarantees of the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution apply to all forms of expressive activity and demonstrations. These include rallies and marches; and picketing, leafleting, and petitioning. These constitutional protections mean that, while government can impose some “reasonable’’ restrictions on these activities, it cannot prohibit or regulate them based on the content of the speech, or in a way that will prevent meaningful and effective communication. The ACLU-NC has developed an outline on how these constitutional principles apply to specific situations and suggests arguments that can be used (in court or directly with the police or city officials) to maximize the scope of these activities.

Roe v. Wade 35th Anniversary

January 24, 2008 PST

Roe v. Wade turns 35 this month. With this anniversary, we mark over three decades of reproductive freedom and progress towards women’s equality. The ability to control whether and when to have children is critical to women’s ability to participate in the social, economic and political life of the country. Access to contraception and abortion have allowed so many women to make important life decisions. But we still have a long way to go in achieving freedom and fairness.

ACLU Issues New Reports on Costs and Arbitrariness of CA's Death Penalty

January 7, 2008 PST

The ACLU of Northern California released two reports on March 27, 2008 detailing the high cost of California’s death penalty, and county-by-county disparities in death sentencing. These reports demonstrate that California’s death penalty is arbitrary, unnecessary and a waste of critical resources.

ACLU Mourns the Loss of Arthur Carmona, Advocate for the Wrongfully Convicted

January 7, 2008 PST

The ACLU of Northern California is deeply saddened by the apparent murder of 26-year-old Arthur Carmona on Feb. 17, 2008. Arthur was just 16 years old when he was wrongfully convicted of a robbery as a result of mistaken eyewitness identification in 1998. Arthur was determined to do all that he could to ensure that no innocent man, let alone an innocent teenager, ended up in California’s prisons. He became a great advocate for the wrongfully convicted and for reform of California’s broken criminal justice system.

Crime Victim to Panel: No to Death Penalty, No to Revenge

January 7, 2008 PST

In a new YouTube video released Feb. 28, 2008, Aundre Herron talks about why California’s death penalty has to go. As both a former prosecutor and murder victim survivor, Herron has a unique and incisive perspective on the death penalty, which she shared with the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice. Watch her testimony:

Death by Geography: A County by County Analysis of the Road to Execution

January 7, 2008 PST

In "Death by Geography", the ACLU-NC reviews the death-sentencing practices, public safety records, and spending practices of the 24 most populous California counties. The report reveals that while the vast majority of California counties have largely abandoned execution in favor of simply sentencing people to die in prison, just 10 counties continue to aggressively pursue executions, accounting for nearly 85 percent of death sentences since 2000.

Execute Justice: The Time Has Come to End California's Death Penalty

January 7, 2008 PST

Murder victims’ family members joined legal experts in proclaiming that California’s death penalty process is broken at a hearing held by a Commission created by the state Senate to investigate problems with the system.

Families of Murder Victims Speak Out Against the Death Penalty

January 7, 2008 PST

California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has released a new publication featuring the stories of murder victim families who do not support the death penalty. "Voices of California Crime Victims" echos a perspective that may be gaining popularity among California voters – that a more balanced approach to the problem of crime will require shifting some of the dollars the state spends on punishment toward programs that address root causes of crime, including poverty.

National Anti-Death Penalty Conference Attracts Diverse Perspectives

January 7, 2008 PST

In an extraordinary gathering of voices, murder victims’ family members, family members of those on death row, and death row exonerees came together in San Jose Jan. 17-20 for the preeminent national meeting of anti-death penalty advocates. The conference, “NCADP 2008: Reaching for the Dream,” brought together victims’ family members opposed to the death penalty with the New Jersey legislator who helped replace the death penalty in his state with sentencing people to die in prison.

Photographs of Arthur Carmona, Advocate for the Wrongfully Convicted

January 7, 2008 PST

"Reforms are urgently needed to prevent wrongful and unjust incarcerations. Prison is no place for an innocent man, let alone an innocent kid." - Arthur Carmona, Advocate for the Wrongfully Convicted

The Hidden Death Tax: The Secret Costs of Seeking Execution in California

January 7, 2008 PST

"The Hidden Death Tax" is a comprehensive report on the costs of California’s death penalty, analyzing for the first time records of actual costs in California death penalty trials. The report demonstrates that while California tax payers spend well over $100 million every year on the death penalty, it is unclear just how much money is being spent.

The Truth About Life Without Parole: Condemned to Die in Prison

January 7, 2008 PST

The facts prove that life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP) is swift, severe, and certain punishment. The reality is that people sentenced to LWOP have been condemned to die in prison and that’s what happens: They die in prison of natural causes, just like the majority of people sentenced to death. The differences: Sentencing people to death by execution is three times more expensive than sentencing them to die in prison. And if we make a mistake by sentencing an innocent person to death, it can’t be fixed.

ACLU Settles Napa School Dress Code Suit

January 4, 2008 PST

The Napa Valley Unified School District Board approved a settlement on Dec. 14 between the school district and five Napa families, represented by the ACLU of Northern California, who challenged the “Appropriate Attire Policy” at Redwood Middle School. The settlement recognizes students’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression.

ACLU Report to CERD: Turning a Blind Eye to Injustice

December 9, 2007 PST

The American Civil Liberties Union today released a comprehensive analysis of the pervasive systemic and structural racism in America. The report, Race & Ethnicity in America: Turning a Blind Eye to Injustice, is a response to the U.S. report to the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) released earlier this year. The U.S. report, which the ACLU called a “whitewash,” swept under the rug the dramatic effects of widespread racial and ethnic discrimination in this country.

The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice: Upcoming Death Penalty Hearings

December 4, 2007 PST

The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice will hold public hearings in early-2008 to consider the administration of the death penalty in California. The hearings will draw input from experts and members of the public in an unprecedented effort to address serious flaws in California’s death penalty system.