News

The ACLU has long been committed to supporting and defending the rights of indigenous people and communities. From North Dakota, to Flint, to Alabama, to California’s Central Valley, the ACLU also recognizes the civil rights issues in struggles over clean water. We work to safeguard the vital roles peaceful protest, nonviolent civil disobedience, and activism play in defending our civil and human ... Read More

A state bill to reform civil asset forfeiture, a practice that has come under fire nationwide following widespread claims of abuse, received strong, bipartisan approval from the California Senate today. Senate Bill 443 will now head to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. Read More

The State Senate just voted to pass AB 2466, a bill that would expand voting rights in California to people caught up in the criminal justice system. The law, if signed by the governor, will clarify who can and cannot vote with a criminal conviction in California. Read More

A bill to limit civil asset forfeiture abuses was approved today by the California Assembly. The bill will return to the Senate for a concurrence vote. SB 443 provides individuals with stronger property rights protections by requiring a conviction in most state civil asset forfeiture cases. Read More

A state audit finding that the CalGang database is plagued by inaccuracies and weak oversight provides further evidence of the long-held position of the ACLU of California that the controversial intelligence-gathering system violates individuals’ rights to privacy and fair treatment. Read More

On August 4, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the ruling in Mony Preap et al. v. Johnson. The class action successfully challenged the federal government’s practice in California of detaining certain immigrants without bond, often for many months, while they face deportation proceedings. Today’s ruling means thousands of California’s immigrants may now make an individ... Read More

Over 20 percent of all charter schools in California have enrollment policies in place that violate state and federal law, according to a new report released on August 1. It provides recommendations to charter schools, charter-authorizing bodies and the state Department of Education to address the violations. Read More

The ACLU of California announced today the appointment of Sylvia Torres-Guillén as director of education advocacy/legal counsel, a position designed to identify and address critical civil rights issues in California’s public education system. Read More

LGBT people and their contributions to California and US history are accurately represented for the first time. Read More

Download the Summer 2016 ACLU of Northern California Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives. Read More

We are angered and saddened by the killing of Alton Sterling by police officers. It is shameful that his death marks the 122nd killing of a Black person by U.S. law enforcement shooting this year. Read More

The federal government’s failure to help naturalize immigrants serving in the U.S. military has led to the deportation of untold numbers of veterans, all of whom were entitled to become citizens because of their service, according to a report released today by the ACLU of California. Read More