open to all two women

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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.

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Forget About Calling A Lawyer Or Anyone at All if You’re in an Immigration Detention Facility

Jun 15, 2016
This piece originally appeared at The Huffington Post. When he was 10 years old, Audley Lyon moved from Jamaica to the United States. He grew up here, fell in love, married a U.S. citizen, and served honorably in the U.S. Air Force. Then Immigration and Customs Enforcement locked him up. It should have been simple for Mr. Lyon to obtain the certifications he needed to begin to fight the ... Read More
California's immigrant families speak out
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Undocumented and Unrepresented: The Solution to California’s Due Process Crisis

Jun 09, 2016
The human cost of detention and deportation has thousands of faces. Children, grandparents, parents, coworkers and neighbors, the majority of whom have endured the grave consequences of deportation proceedings without legal counsel.In California alone, two out of three detained immigrants go unrepresented in our immigration courts each year.Our broken immigration system continues to systematically... Read More
A photo of a monitor showing five unanimous 'YES' votes from the Board of Supervisors
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Santa Clara County Passes Landmark Law to Shut Down Secret Surveillance

Jun 08, 2016
Santa Clara County has passed a landmark law to stop secret and discriminatory surveillance. The passage of this new law comes on the heels of San Jose's secret acquisition of a drone, the Santa Clara Sheriff's attempt to quietly buy an invasive cell phone tracking device, and revelations that Fresno and Bay Area police departments have been using social networking software that monitors Black Liv... Read More
asset forfeiture report cover
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ACLU Report: Asset Forfeiture Takes Wealth from Communities of Color

May 19, 2016
Did you know that in 2014 police took more property from people in the U.S. than burglars did? Frightening, but absolutely legal. A new ACLU of California report finds that, although this tactic of policing for profit can impact all types of innocent people, folks of color and poor people bear the heaviest burden. Read More
binders full of paper
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Our Fears Confirmed: Proposed Lethal Injection Regulations Fraught with Deep and Troubling Flaws

May 10, 2016
In 2015, the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehab. published proposed regulations for a new execution protocol. This triggered an important public comment period in accordance with CA law. The ACLU had previously submitted a Public Records Act request, in order to shed light on the proposed regulations and enhance the public's ability to comment meaningfully on them. After withholding records for mon... Read More