Legal Docket

Is due process violated by a city forfeiture ordinance that authorizes the immediate seizure of vehicles allegedly involved in the solicitation of prostitution or drugs without any provision for a prompt hearing to determining probably cause and the necessity for retaining the vehicle during the pendency of the forfeiture action? Read More

After the City terminated the Sea Scouts' free berth space, the Sea Scouts sued the City, claiming that it had violated their First Amendment and equal protection rights. The trial court dismissed the action, and plaintiffs appealed. The First Appellate district affirmed. Evans v. City of Berkeley, 104 Cal. App. 4th 1 (2002). The appellate court (after affirming the dismissal of contract and o... Read More

Michael Angelo Morales was scheduled to be executed at San Quentin State Prison on February 21, 2006.

Learn more:

Michael Morales's letter

Multiple-party letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger (English) 

Multiple-Party letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger (Spanish)

Letter from retired Superior Court Judge McGrath to Gov. Schwarzenegger (Jan. 25, 2006)

Profile of Michael Morales (Spanish)

Read More

A federal civil rights lawsuit against Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF), the state's juvenile detention facility. The three plaintiffs were abused and harassed because of their sexual orientation and gender identity while at HYCF. Read More

The Los Angeles Times sought release of records from the California Commission on Police Officers Standards and Training regarding the appointment, promotion, and termination histories of various police officers. Trial court granted access to some of the requested information. Court of Appeal reversed it. The Los Angeles Times appealed. The ACLU Foundations of California filed an amicus brief in t... Read More

Must victims of discrimination affirmatively request and be denied equal treatment before they may sue under the Unruh Act or the Gender Tax Repeal Act? Does advertising a sex-based price discount violate the Unruh Act or the Gender Tax Repeal Act? Read More

Does compulsory testing and maintenance of DNA from persons who are arrested for felony offenses and persons with past convictions who are no longer supervised by the criminal justice system violate the Fourth Amendment and federal privacy rights? Read More

The issue in this case is whether the California Constitution allows the government to underwrite part of the cost of a religious school's borrowing money to construct facilities. The government issues tax-exempt bonds to nonprofit organizations, acting as a conduit between the organization and lender, so that the interest on the loan is not taxed. This allows the organization to borrow money at... Read More

Should a criminal defendant have the burden of proving that a prosecutor's peremptory challenges to all of the Native American jurors in the jury pool were "predominantly" based on race or is it enough to show that one of the reasons for the challenges was based on racial stereotypes? Read More

An appeal was filed to halt the execution of Donald Beardslee, arguing that one of the drugs used in the procedure, Pavulon, would paralyze and leave him unable to signal if he was in pain, violating Beardslee's Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Death Penalty Focus filed an amicus brief arguing that the paralyzing dr... Read More

May the government block the donation of the Unabomber's writings to a university library to prevent the glorification of his crimes? Read More

Plaintiff Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund sued Governor Gray Davis (now Arnold Schwarzenegger) and other state officials for injunctive and declaratory relief seeking a determination that AB 205 was unlawfully enacted by the Legislature in violation of California Constitution, article II, section 10, subdivision (c), because it amends Proposition 22 but was not presented to the vot... Read More