![open to all two women](/sites/default/files/styles/listing_hero_small/public/2019-12/Open%20to%20All.png?h=aa8471a5&itok=5YOO36T6)
Blog
We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. Behind every court ruling is a person. Behind every landmark law is a movement. Read the stories and hear the voices that ground our work.
Celebrating Harvey Milk and the Defeat of the Briggs Initiative - #ACLUTimeMachine
Every year on May 22, California celebrates Harvey Milk Day to mark the indelible impact Milk left on the world. Did you know that in the last year of his life, Milk tirelessly fought a virulently homophobic statewide initiative that looked very likely to pass and would have put California in the vanguard of a growing anti-gay movement?
Read MoreThis Mental Health Month, Advocates Demand Bail Reform
Jails have become America's top place to warehouse people living with mental health challenges. Far too many of those incarcerated are locked up for low-level offenses related to their health condition.
Read MoreBehind Many 'Mom and Pop' Bail Bonds Shops is a Huge Insurance Corporation Out to Profit from Misery
Every year, money bail boosts bail insurance corporations’ profits at the expense of millions of low-income people of color.
Read MoreWhen Your Tap Water is Toxic
Repeating Mistakes of the Past: Anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act
It's the 135th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, an immigration law that legitimized racism as policy.
Why Did the Government Search an Artist’s iPhone at the Border?
April 29 Marked 100 Days of Resistance
On Nov. 9, 2016 we awoke to a new reality. America had elected Donald J. Trump as its 45th President. “We’ll see you in court” became the ACLU's mantra.
Read MoreFederal Court Calls Trump’s Threats to Defund Sanctuary Cities Unconstitutional
Lawyers for Immigrants: Why California Must Lead the Way
Did you know that California pioneered the public defender system in the early 1900s? It's time for our state to step up again.
Fighting Censorship: Victories in 1957 & 2017 #ACLUTimeMachine
The ACLU has been fighting against censorship for nearly a century. April is National Poetry Month, so we’ve been thinking about a free speech case from sixty years ago that involved a small but powerful book of poetry.
Read More#123TCP – The Toxic Chemical in California's Tap Water
No one should have to turn on their tap and wonder if the water is safe to drink. But thousands of homes across the state are connected to water sources contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical called 1,2,3-TCP.
Read MoreA Dangerous Trend: Immigration Arrests at State Courthouses Are on the Rise
One disturbing new trend is the increase in immigration arrests at state courthouses across the country. Beyond posing public safety dangers, these arrests also threaten our constitutional rights.
Read More