Archive

Download the Spring 2016 ACLU of Northern California Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives. Read More

ACLU lawyers are used to taking on injustice and speaking out on behalf of our clients. This time the discrimination happened to us.We began the evening on a quest for a good karaoke night, and went to a bar called Brig. After waiting for more than half an hour to sing, we started to wonder when our number would be called. We planned to sing a hip hop and R&B hit from the ’90s — TLC’s Waterfal... Read More

This equation of anti-Semitism and “anti-Zionism” threatens free speech principles. In the area of free speech, clarity and specificity are essential to preserve the free flow of ideas. Read More

Bills sponsored by the ACLU of California would help move us forward.Every year, the ACLU of California sponsors several bills in the California Legislature. What does it mean to sponsor a bill? In most cases, it means we have collaborated with other advocacy groups and the legislative author in drafting the bill and providing our input on the text. We also may lobby legislators, testify in suppor... Read More

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice urged local courts nationwide to put an end to policies that penalize people simply for being poor – including the practice of suspending driver’s licenses when individuals miss payments on fines. This practice is all too common in California traffic courts, and is not prevented by amnesty policies that went into place last year.Today, a coalition of legal... Read More

Privacy & Free Speech: It’s Good for Business is your essential guide to avoiding costly privacy and free speech missteps that can destroy user trust, lead to government investigations and expensive lawsuits, and damage the bottom line. Read More

In the early hours of March 3, 1991, George Holliday stepped onto his balcony and saw police begin to beat a motorist on the street below. He then pulled out a video camera and filmed an incident that would become synonymous with police violence and misconduct: the beating of a young African American man named Rodney King by several Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers. News stations acro... Read More

When Twitter released its most recent transparency report in late February, users got their first glimpse into the content the company removes for violating its terms of service after it receives formal legal demands. This is a step forward. Read More

ACLU Foundation of Northern California has settled a lawsuit with the Manteca Unified School District after two high school officials chastised and censored a student for wearing a shirt to school identifying herself as a proud member of the LGBT community. Read More

Today is not a typical ACLU day for me.I am going to Apple’s shareholder meeting to show my support for a company that is standing up for the privacy and security of people around the country and around the world.The federal government’s order for Apple to create a backdoor into the iPhone is not about just one phone. It is about all of our phones and devices, everywhere.Just like we rely on stron... Read More