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Our lawyers and advocates are among the nation's leading experts on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. Read the latest on the ACLU of Northern California’s work. To schedule a press interview, call (415) 621-2493 or contact press@aclunc.org.

ACLU of Northern CA
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In Response to Lawsuit, Santa Clara Superior Court Takes Step to Change Policy Discriminating Against Poor Defendants

Nov 13, 2023
The new policy allows a defendant with an active arrest warrant to schedule an initial court appearance through their attorney regardless of their financial means. Someone who can’t afford bail must still appear at the jail for an informal booking. However they won’t be taken into custody. Once in court, a judge makes an individualized determination about whether that person should remain out of c... Read More
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San Francisco Attempts to “Judge Shop” In High-Profile Homelessness Case

Oct 10, 2023
The ACLU of Northern California and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area filed a brief opposing the city of San Francisco's request to reassign the Coalition on Homelessness case to a judge who handled a case regarding the city's response to street homelessness that was dismissed and closed three years ago. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
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San Francisco Continues to Defy Injunction, Fails to Train Workers Charged with Clearing Homeless Encampments

Oct 06, 2023
In August, the court asked San Francisco to identify how it has trained staff to ensure the city is following a preliminary injunction preventing it from illegally destroying unhoused residents’ property. The city's only training tool is a brief presentation that does not meaningfully explain the procedures public works employees must follow when handling people's belongings. Read More
ACLU NorCal Executive Director Abdi Soltani speaks at a rally before a hearing at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the federal injunction barring San Francisco from citing and arresting unhoused people who have no access to shelter.
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Ninth Circuit Appears to Reaffirm Civil Rights Protections in Litigation Over San Francisco’s Discriminatory Policing of Unhoused People

Aug 23, 2023
During a hearing on the federal preliminary injunction prohibiting San Francisco from citing and arresting unhoused people who have no access to shelter, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appeared to reject the city's argument that the injunction prevents San Francisco from maintaining a safe and healthy environment on the streets. The lawsuit, Coalition on Homelessness v. ... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
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Civil Rights, Law Enforcement, and Legal Services Groups Invite San Francisco City Attorney to Discuss Settlement, Refocus City’s Efforts to Improve Homelessness Crisis

Aug 10, 2023
The ACLU of Northern California and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area sent a letter to San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu asking him to discuss settlement terms that would prioritize developing affordable housing, expanding access to temporary shelter, and providing services to help unhoused San Franciscans get off the streets and back on their feet. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
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Lawsuit Challenges Santa Clara Superior Court over Unconstitutional Policy that Forces Poor Defendants to Go to Jail if They Can’t Make Bail

Jul 31, 2023
In Santa Clara County, people who want to voluntarily appear in court to address an outstanding arrest warrant must first go to jail if they are too poor to post bail. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Criminal Defense Clinic at Stanford Law School have sued Santa Clara County Superior Court over this unconstitutional policy that results in an unequal system of justice. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
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Homeless Advocates Respond to San Francisco’s Flouting of Court Order to Stop Policing Unhoused People

Jul 26, 2023
The ACLU of Northern California, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and Latham & Watkins LLP filed a brief in federal court asking a judge to appoint a special master to oversee the city of San Francisco's compliance with a December 2022 injunction barring the city from forcibly displacing unhoused people and destroying their belongings. Read More