Scales of Justice in Courtroom

Legal Docket

For decades, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California has used the courts to protect and expand the rights of all Californians. From fighting against the internment of Japanese Americans, to suing California Highway Patrol for targeting Black and Latinx drivers, the ACLU is building a more just state one lawsuit at a time.

ACLU of Northern CA
Case

ACLU Foundation of Southern California v. Anaheim Police Department and ACLU Foundation of Northern California v. Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department

Sep 11, 2015
In May and July of last year, the ACLU Foundations of California submitted requests under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the Anaheim Police Department, seeking documents related to the use of StingRays – highly invasive surveillance devices that allow law enforcement to track a suspect’s cell phone and, in the process, obtain a wide var... Read More
judge with gavel and stack of paper money on desk
Case

ACLU Foundation of Northern California Warns California County Traffic Courts Against Charging for Court Dates

Sep 04, 2015
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California is asking Del Norte, Fresno, Mendocino, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Tulare, Madera, and Shasta counties to reverse their policies of requiring payment in advance of traffic court dates, or face possible legal action. These counties are currently withholding the right to contest a traffic citation until the fines and fees for the citation are paid in full. This pr... Read More
Michael Scott
Case

Scott v. Bowen (CA Voting Rights Clarification)

Aug 06, 2015
All adult Californians have a constitutional right to vote except while they are “imprisoned or on parole for conviction of a felony” or are mentally incompetent. But the California Secretary of State has expanded this exclusion to include people who are neither imprisoned nor on parole but are on new forms of community supervision created by California’s 2011 Criminal Justice Realignment Act. As ... Read More
female high school students
Case

American Academy of Pediatrics v. Clovis USD (Comprehensive Sex Education)

May 04, 2015
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed suit against a public school district over abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education in it's high schools. The lawsuit charges that the district is violating California law and putting teens' health at risk by giving students misinformation and denying them critical instruction about condoms and contraception. Read More
various religious symbols
Case

Lavagetto v. Calaveras County (Religious Freedom)

Mar 10, 2015
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors violated the California Constitution’s requirement that the government remain neutral on matters of religion when it passed a resolution recognizing a local Christian ministry for, among other things, its “advocacy and education” “to enlighten and strengthen the lives of women and young women in Calaveras County by inviting them to test and see for themsel... Read More
Elizabeth Haskell
Case

Haskell v. Harris (Mandatory DNA Collection)

Dec 03, 2014
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a lawsuit in federal court on Oct. 7, 2009 seeking to stop California's policy of mandating that DNA is collected from anyone arrested for a felony, whether or not they are ever charged or convicted. The policy is a result of Proposition 69, which was enacted by voters in 2004 and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009. Under this new law, people who a... Read More