Archive

Last week, San Francisco’s District Attorney, George Gascón, announced that his office would erase thousands of marijuana convictions from people’s criminal records. District Attorneys across the country should follow the will of voters and address the lasting damage caused by ineffective and racist drug arrests. Read More

There were many awful aspects of President Trump’s State of the Union message, but we have a personal perspective on one in particular, thanks to our work on behalf of immigrants who have been accused of being gang members based on dubious or non-existent “evidence.” Read More

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Today, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced a new program to automatically review past marijuana convictions.The following is a statement from Ana Zamora, Criminal Justice Director at the ACLU of Northern California.We applaud District Attorney Gascón for upholding the will of Californians who voted to legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana and ... Read More

The First District Court of Appeal of California just issued a ruling that will have an immediate impact on how courts will use and set money bail, that highlights an urgent need for systemic statewide reforms. Read More

In his final State of the State Address, Gov. Brown highlighted California’s journey towards sound criminal justice reforms. Read More

The Department of Justice is expected to reverse an Obama-era policy today that discouraged federal prosecutors from bringing charges against marijuana users in states where marijuana is legal. This decision would directly impact residents of the six states and the District of Columbia who have already legalized marijuana use, and should the change also affect medical marijuana regulations, could ... Read More

ACLU clients are home for the holidays after months in detention without due process. Read More

The American Civil Liberties Union’s Campaign for Smart Justice is launching an initiative that focuses on bolstering the movement to end money bail and eliminate wealth-based pretrial detention. Read More

Today the three California ACLU affiliates launched a hard-hitting new online ad campaign, featuring actress Rosario Dawson, urging California Republican House members to support a clean Dream Act by the end of 2017. The five representatives are key votes and have not yet announced support for the bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers from deportation. The powerful ads show a mother driving ... Read More

F.E., a 17-year-old from Brentwood, New York, has returned home to his family after being detained for five months in jail-like facilities run by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Read More