Blog

The ACLU has released a new video educating Californians about their rights during encounters with the police. Previous videos highlight the rights of protesters and immigrants. Read More

"Stopping the Flood Waters: A Call to Transform California's Schools in Support of Native American Students" documents how California schools consistently fail to provide Native American students with an equitable and inclusive education. Here, two students share their educational experiences in their own words. Read More

When police seek access to information about people exercising their First Amendment rights, they must meet a much higher legal standard to justify that intrusion. That’s what a court ruled in a case where the UC Santa Barbara Police Department attempted to force Instagram to surrender detailed records associated with two activist Instagram accounts. Read More

A San Francisco judge has ruled that the California Department of Justice can no longer indefinitely store the DNA of people who were never convicted of a crime. Read More

The feeling of violation continues to feel overwhelming—strangers now have access to everything, from my random casual conversations to incredibly intimate family exchanges. I thought I could get back to my studies after the challenges of last spring when I was excluded from campus after the protests. But having my phone seized right at the start of the year has really set me back. Read More

The last thing any company wants is a reputation for selling out their users or putting them in harm’s way. We’ve put together a series of recommendations. Read More

Alameda County is set to choose a new district attorney to replace Pamela Price. The next top prosecutor must commit to promoting equal justice and safety for all Read More

The ACLU is suing the Trump administration to block the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, the 14th Amendment guarantee that every baby born in the United States is a citizen. Birthright citizenship was included in the Constitution to rectify the U.S. Supreme Court’s racist 1857 Dred Scott decision that denied citizenship to enslaved and free Black Americans. Here’s the bott... Read More

Today, the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States marks the beginning of another term with policies in direct opposition to core ACLU principles and values. The ACLU of Northern California stands ready, as it has throughout its history, to protect fundamental rights under federal and state law – and the Constitution. Read More

The report, "Seeing Through Surveillance," and its accompanying materials, provide lawmakers and community members with the knowledge and tools they need to build a firewall that keeps people safe. Read More

With President-elect Donald Trump about to reassume office, the very systems that officials promised would keep us safe have become a major liability. Read More

The results of the November 2024 election – at both the federal and state level – compel us to look ahead with clear eyes and strong resolve to protect civil liberties and civil rights. We balance our sober understanding of the threats ahead with our enduring commitment to a vision of the United States and its Constitution that respects the rights of all persons.  Read More