open to all two women

Blog

We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. Behind every court ruling is a person. Behind every landmark law is a movement. Read the stories and hear the voices that ground our work.

ACLU client
Blog

Suspicious Activity Reports Go to Court

Jan 09, 2015
Yesterday a federal judge in the Northern District of California held a hearing to determine whether our lawsuit challenging the U.S. government’s domestic surveillance program could proceed. Read More
police car lights
Blog

Does the Americans with Disabilities Act Apply to Cops?

Jan 08, 2015
People with disabilities face violent and deadly consequences when law enforcement does not take disabilities into account. It is not okay to take a deaf person down for failing to follow verbal orders. It is not okay to attack someone with autism because he is slow to respond to instruction. It is not okay to treat a woman with a mental disability as if she were a dangerous criminal. Read More
reproductive freedom
Blog

Victory! Catholic School Held Accountable for Sex Discrimination

Dec 23, 2014
Emily Herx never imagined that she could lose her job for trying to get pregnant. But after working for more than seven years as a literature and language arts teacher at a Catholic school in Indiana, she was shocked to learn that her teaching contract would not be renewed: All because the in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment she was undergoing in an attempt to have a second child made her a "gr... Read More
Gavin Grimm
Blog

Why Can't I Use the Boys' Bathroom at School?

Dec 22, 2014
My family contacted the ACLU and is working with them to file a complaint with the Department of Justice in order to make Gloucester High School safer and more inclusive to transgender youth while hopefully encouraging other local schools to do the same. Read More
Daisy Vieyra
Blog

To Apply or Not to Apply? That is the Question.

Dec 17, 2014
Immigration as a legal issue is so complicated in and of itself. But when you add people’s real-life experiences, it becomes even more so. So I think it is worthwhile for us to explore the answer to one of the most complicated questions: should I apply for an AB 60 license? Read More
statue of liberty
Blog

Detained for the Holidays

Dec 16, 2014
The mass detention of families is cruel, unnecessary, and unconstitutional. The Obama administration should stop using families as pawns and restore basic due process so that no mother or child is locked up arbitrarily. Read More
2014 bill of rights day
Blog

Celebrating Bill of Rights Day with Gratitude

Dec 16, 2014
While it feels like an odd time to celebrate, it’s also a time in which we need to support those in our communities who continue to fight for justice and equality. Which is why I was so grateful last weekend to spend time with our Bill of Rights Day Celebration honorees who inspire me because they step up every day. Read More
Abdi Soltani
Blog

Racial Injustice and Broken Systems

Dec 15, 2014
Families and communities across the nation are outraged, grieving, and taking to the streets.Our hearts go out to the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two unarmed black men killed by police who have escaped justice.And to the families of Tamir Rice, Oscar Grant, Alex Nieto, Andy Lopez, and too many more black and brown men and boys who have been killed by the police.The ACLU of Northern ... Read More
rainbow flag
Blog

New DOJ Profiling Guidance: LGBTQ-Inclusive, But Inadequate

Dec 10, 2014
With the backdrop of a national, youth-led movement demanding reform of a system of policing that too often approaches communities of color like an occupying force, the Department of Justice on Monday released updated profiling guidance for federal law enforcement agencies. The guidance is explicitly inclusive of both sexual orientation and gender identity – an aspect that is of critical importanc... Read More