Blog

November 20th is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The transgender experience in the United States has been heavily misunderstood and stigmatized. Being transgender in this country has become a radical act of self-preservation in the face of a traditionally gendered society.Today we honor the 238 trans* people worldwide we've lost this year. Read More

Solitary confinement can eat away at someone's mind, making mental illness worse and leaving many people depressed, suicidal, hopeless or hallucinating. It's no place for individuals with mental illness. Read More

The ACLU of Northern California suffered a double blow with the death of veteran journalist Raul Ramirez Nov. 15. Ramirez, who was the executive news editor at KQED, was also an ACLU-NC client for over a decade. Read More

We sat down with Linnea Nelson, ACLU of Northern California staff attorney who specializes in education equity, to understand how California's new funding formula could help ensure more equal educational opportunities for all schoolchildren. Read More

From revelations of widespread NSA spying to high profile data breaches, transparency is more important than ever. Our new policy paper takes a close look at what we all can do to increase transparency and protect privacy today. Read More

Remember when we filed a lawsuit to obtain the FBI's full records on Antiwar.com? New documents confirm that the FBI targeted and spied on Antiwar.com. Government surveillance of news organizations interferes with democracy and journalists’ ability to report the news. Read More

The United States has a long history of persecuting and stigmatizing people and ideas it doesn’t understand: Islam, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and abortion to name a few. One of the most widely and ferociously debated social issues in the last 30 years is the rights and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. From marriage equality to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, we’ve argued ... Read More

The ACLU of Northern California is saddened and troubled by the tragic shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy. It is imperative that there be a robust and transparent review of this incident, including the public release of any and all findings resulting from the investigation of any law enforcement agency into this shooting. Read More

The ACLU of Northern California urges Santa Clara County to keep its current immigration detainer policy and to reject the District Attorney's recommendation to adopt a policy that would allow enforcement of immigration detainers under certain circumstances. Read More

The ACLU of Northern California, along with other public interest and legal services organizations, won an important victory last week for families who live in public housing. Read More

This summer Californians celebrated a historic victory when Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law AB 1266 – the School Success and Opportunity Act. The law makes sure that all students, including transgender students, have the opportunity to graduate from California’s public schools, by ensuring they can be themselves and fully participate in school facilities and activities such as sports and physical... Read More

The ACLU of California took a position on over 118 bills before the legislature. This year stands as one of the most robust in advancing our civil liberties: the governor signed into law 12 of our priority bills. Read More