Archive

In a decision that will be appealed to the California Supreme Court, a divided panel of the California Court of Appeal ruled today that California may continue to bar same-sex couples from marriage. In a strong dissent, Justice Anthony Kline wrote, “the inescapable effect of the analysis the majority adopts is to diminish the humanity of the lesbians and gay men whose rights are defeated. The righ... Read More

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California has historically opposed civil gang injunctions because of their unfair impact on civil liberties, their potential for racial profiling, and due process concerns. In September 2006, the City Attorney of San Francisco sought the city's first civil gang injunction in the Bayview neighborhood.  On June 21, 2007, the city filed two new gang injun... Read More

Very disappointing news – despite strong support from up and down the state and across the aisle and thousands of letters sent by constituents, the Governor vetoed the RFID bill. GOVERNOR VETOES RFID PRIVACY MEASURE; SIMITIAN CALLS VETO A "MISSED OPPORTUNITY," SAYS HE'LL REINTRODUCE LEGISLATION Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced to... Read More

A California father and son, who are both American citizens, were finally allowed to re-enter the U.S. on Sunday after being barred from returning when they refused to cooperate with the FBI. Read More

In a victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, the ACLU obtained a preliminary injunction requiring the Hawaii Youth Correction Facility to establish policies and procedures to prevent abuse of LGBT youth in their custodyThis marks the first time a case has specifically addressed LGBT youth in juvenile facilities.Citing an extensive and chilling list of incidents, U.S. District Ju... Read More

In response to the City's first request for a civil injunction against an alleged gang in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed an amicus brief on October 17, 2006 asking the Court to deny the City Attorney's request for preliminary injunction at the scheduled October 30, 2006 hearing. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California asked the Court to c... Read More

Welcome to Bytes and Pieces, the new blog for the Technology and Civil Liberties Program. I hope that you will be a frequent visitor to this spot to keep up to date on all the latest news and activities on privacy, free speech, and new technology and share your thoughts on current projects and emerging issues. Hot Off the Presses: Landmark RFID Bill Passes Le... Read More

Verizon Communications Inc. and the Bush administration are asking the Court to dismiss the lawsuits filed against the telecommunications giant in a set of motions being argued on Thursday, August 30. Following revelations in an article in USA Today in May of last year, the three California affiliates of the ACLU sued Verizon to stop the company from continuing to provide the National Security Age... Read More

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed League of Women Voters v. McPherson to restore the voting rights of over 145,000 Californians (mostly young men of color with non-violent felony convictions), who were recently disenfranchised by the Attorney General. The Attorney General's opinion challenged by the ACLU Foundation of Northern California states that individuals in jail as a conditi... Read More

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed an amicus brief arguing that the government violates the Sixth Amendment and attorney-client privilege when it records telephone calls between a pre-trial detainee and his lawyer and then provides the recordings to the prosecution team. Read More