The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed League of Women Voters v. McPherson to restore the voting rights of over 145,000 Californians (mostly young men of color with non-violent felony convictions), who were recently disenfranchised by the Attorney General. The Attorney General's opinion challenged by the ACLU Foundation of Northern California states that individuals in jail as a condition of felony probation cannot vote, contrary to the language and legislative history of the California Constitution which disenfranchise only people in prison or on parole.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed an amicus brief arguing that the government violates the Sixth Amendment and attorney-client privilege when it records telephone calls between a pre-trial detainee and his lawyer and then provides the recordings to the prosecution team.

A federal grand jury issued a subpoena seeking the unpublished portions of a journalist's videotape of a political demonstration. The journalist refused to hand over the material, asserting his First Amendment rights. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed amicus briefs arguing that a journalist does have a qualified First Amendment privilege in such circumstances and that a court must balance the reporter's and the public's interest in effective newsgathering versus the government's interest in compelling disclosure.

Is the US Government lawfully implementing its deportation program targeting non-citizen sex offenders?

Baptized Sikh students are permitted to wear symbolic ceremonial knives to school.

Without any trial or due process, hundreds of West Sacramento residents of a predominantly Latino neighborhood were served a permanent "gang" injunction. In addition to challenging this injunction in a separate case, California v. Broderick Boys, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California is representing one such resident, a 28-year-old father, who was served by the injunction that imposes a lifetime 10 P.M. curfew, among other restrictions. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California is seeks a court order establishing that the Velazquez is not an active gang member, and thus the injunction must be vacated as to him and his name must be purged from the police gang files.