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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.
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ACLU Calls for an End to Curfews that Can Lead to the Abuses that are Being Protested
Jun 01, 2020
The slew of hastily announced “curfews” enacted in cities across California lack clarity as to their scope and duration. This is the wrong way to handle disruptions to what have been otherwise peaceful protests, and they are far broader than necessary to address any problems that have arisen or may arise.
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Lawsuit Demands Immediate Release of Santa Rita Inmates at High Risk for a Fatal COVID-19 Infection While Living in Unsafe Conditions
May 29, 2020
Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a class action lawsuit to compel Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern to release all medically vulnerable people in custody at Santa Rita or in rare circumstances transfer them to home confinement.
Three of our plaintiffs are inmates who suffer from respiratory illnesses and hypertension – chronic medical conditions that the CDC says make t...
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California Supreme Court Rules Against the City of Hayward and its Police Department in Public Records Case
May 28, 2020
Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California prevailed in obtaining a unanimous California Supreme Court opinion that will help ensure that access to electronic records, such as police body camera footage, is not dependent on the requester’s wealth.
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Court Rejects Lawsuit to Force Governor to Halt ICE Transfers During Pandemic
May 13, 2020
The California Supreme Court today rejected a lawsuit that would have forced the governor to halt the transfer of individuals from state prisons and county jails to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers that are potential death traps due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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ACLU Condemns DAs in Stanislaus and Tulare Counties for Defying New COVID-19 Statewide Bail Directives
May 06, 2020
The ACLU denounces actions taken by Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager and Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward to keep people in jail during the COVID-19 crisis by circumventing and opposing the emergency bail schedule.
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Advocates Demand that Mayor Breed Follow the Law, Move Unhoused People into Hotels and Allow COVID-19 Tests for Shelter Residents
May 05, 2020
Attorneys for the Coalition on Homelessness demanded that Mayor Breed stop shirking her mandatory health duties, and allow COVID-19 testing of all shelter residents, as well as follow the recent City ordinance requiring that hotel rooms be made available for all unhoused people during the shelter-in-place ordinance.
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ACLU Demands Release of Records in Police Beating of 14-year-old Boy
May 04, 2020
Jah, who never appeared to pose a threat, was tackled, pinned, and punched by the officer on April 27, 2020 in the area of Mills Station Road and Mather Field Road in Rancho Cordova, CA. Jah and his family are in our thoughts as they heal and recover from this traumatic event.
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Court Finds Likely Constitutional Violation in ICE's Detention of Immigrants in Two Cramped Detention Centers During Pandemic
Apr 29, 2020
In an emergency order, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in response to a challenge by immigrants detained at two California immigration detention centers where conditions are rife for the spread of COVID-19.
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Santa Clara County Superior Court Installs Public Dial-in Line to Ensure Public Access to Criminal Proceedings During Pandemic
Apr 28, 2020
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, along with the First Amendment Coalition, Public Justice, and Silicon Valley De-Bug have monitored and advocated for public access to the Santa Clara County Superior Court since the court’s March 23 general order closing the court to the public and the press.
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ACLU Sues Governor in CA Supreme Court Case Over Pandemic Conditions
Apr 24, 2020
Today, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundations of Southern California, Northern California, and San Diego and Imperial Counties filed an emergency lawsuit in California Supreme Court to force the governor and attorney general of California to halt transfers of individuals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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