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.

This Mental Health Month, Advocates Demand Bail Reform

May 22, 2017

Jails have become America's top place to warehouse people living with mental health challenges. Far too many of those incarcerated are locked up for low-level offenses related to their health condition.

Behind Many 'Mom and Pop' Bail Bonds Shops is a Huge Insurance Corporation Out to Profit from Misery

May 11, 2017

Every year, money bail boosts bail insurance corporations’ profits at the expense of millions of low-income people of color.

When Your Tap Water is Toxic

May 09, 2017

“On behalf of myself and my 17-year-old daughter that I’m raising and my mother, who recently passed away – we’ve been drinking contaminated water for some time now. I live on a fixed budget. I don’t make more than $600 a month, and I pay out about $80 a month to have to buy water. And that’s for cooking purposes also other than just drinking. In talking with my daughter, she says, “Dad – how can ... Read More

Repeating Mistakes of the Past: Anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act

May 05, 2017

It's the 135th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, an immigration law that legitimized racism as policy.

Why Did the Government Search an Artist’s iPhone at the Border?

May 04, 2017

In late February, Aaron Gach was returning to the United States from Brussels. An artist and activist, he had been abroad exhibiting works about mass incarceration, government control, and political dissent. In his pocket was a smartphone. During a customs inspection at San Francisco International Airport, officers with Customs and Border Protection forced Aaron to submit to an i... Read More

April 29 Marked 100 Days of Resistance

May 03, 2017

On Nov. 9, 2016 we awoke to a new reality. America had elected Donald J. Trump as its 45th President. “We’ll see you in court” became the ACLU's mantra.

Federal Court Calls Trump’s Threats to Defund Sanctuary Cities Unconstitutional

Apr 26, 2017

For months, the Trump administration has tried to bully local communities into signing up to become extensions of the federal deportation system. That campaign of threats and public shaming based on flawed data — which has been mostly unsuccessful — suffered another major blow yesterday. A federal court in San Francisco ruled in two cases that the president’s threats were uncon... Read More