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.

two students from Chawanakee Unified School District
Case

Reeder v. Chawanakee Unified School District (LGBTQ Yearbook Quotes)

Mar 13, 2019
On January 14, 2019, Steven Madrid and Mikayla Garaffa, two Minarets High School students, had their pro-LGBTQ yearbook quotes rejected by school administrators who called the quotes “politically divisive.” After the quotes were rejected, the two students sent the district a letter from the ACLU national office to Minarets High School’s yearbook advisor and school principal, asserting their fr... Read More
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Case

Knight v. St. Joseph Health (Sex Discrimination)

Mar 12, 2019
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and the law firm Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP filed a lawsuit on March 21, 2019 on behalf of Oliver Knight, a 29-year-old transgender man who was denied health care based on the hospital’s religious views, which do not recognize gender-affirming care. On August 30, 2017, minutes before Mr. Knight was scheduled t... Read More
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Case

Faison v. Jones (Free Speech)

Jan 22, 2019
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed suit against Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones on behalf of Black Lives Matter leaders who were unlawfully blocked from the sheriff's official Facebook page. Tanya Faison and Sonia Lewis, co-leaders of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, have been vocal critics of the sheriff and other law enforcement officials. Both had comments deleted and were blocked... Read More
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Case

In re Humphrey (Bail)

Nov 14, 2018
In January 2018, the First District Court of Appeal ruled that the money bail system in California violated due process and equal protection by imprisoning defendants prior to trial solely because they could not afford to pay bail. The ruling required Superior Court judges to consider both a defendant’s ability to pay and non-monetary alternatives to money bail when setting an amount of money bail... Read More
Picture of Police Sirens
Case

Cross v. San Francisco (Racially Biased Policing)

Oct 04, 2018
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California, the ACLU Foundation and the law firm Durie Tangri LLP filed a lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco for its police department’s racially discriminatory enforcement practices. Read More
person looking at computer - shutterstock
Case

Raimondo v. FBI (Internet Free Speech)

Aug 27, 2018
In 2004, the FBI conducted a “threat assessment” of long-time journalists and commentators Justin Raimondo and Eric Garris, as well as their website, Antiwar.com. In violation of the federal Privacy Act, this threat assessment compiled descriptions of the journalists’ First Amendment activities without any apparent law enforcement purpose. Attorneys at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California an... Read More
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Case

Chiu v. Secretary of State Padilla (Voting Rights)

Jul 24, 2018
The Disability Rights California (DRC) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California sued Secretary of State Alex Padilla for failing to provide voter registration services for low-income Californians and Californians with disabilities. The lawsuit demands that California comply with state and federal laws that require public assistance offices and state-funded progra... Read More
Client Faygo Clark with his sign
Case

SRCEH v. Sacramento (Anti-Panhandling Ordinance)

Jul 19, 2018
In April 2018, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Legal Services of Northern California filed suit in federal district court against the City of Sacramento to halt enforcement of an unconstitutional "anti-solicitation" ordinance adopted by the Sacramento City Council. The suit was filed on behalf of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, the Sacramento Homeless Org... Read More
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Case

Hakimi et al v. Pompeo (Muslim Ban)

Jul 05, 2018
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed suit against Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on July 5, 2018, demanding that the State Department issue a decision on an Iranian family’s application to immigrate to the United States. Presidential Proclamation 9645 -- commonly known as the Muslim Ban -- along with other federal law, requires State Department officials to issue decisions on vi... Read More
Cars
Case

ACLU of Northern California v. ICE (License Plate Readers)

May 16, 2018
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on May 23, 2018 demanding records of ICE’s relationship with private companies to access vast troves of information about drivers through Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) databases. Earlier in 2018, it was revealed that ICE purchased access to two private databases of ALPR data for p... Read More