News

Today, Governor Newsom issued an executive order to ensure that Californians can exercise their right to vote in a safe, secure and accessible manner during the upcoming election. Read More

The slew of hastily announced “curfews” enacted in cities across California lack clarity as to their scope and duration. This is the wrong way to handle disruptions to what have been otherwise peaceful protests, and they are far broader than necessary to address any problems that have arisen or may arise. Read More

Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a class action lawsuit to compel Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern to release all medically vulnerable people in custody at Santa Rita or in rare circumstances transfer them to home confinement. Three of our plaintiffs are inmates who suffer from respiratory illnesses and hypertension – chronic medical conditions that the CDC says make t... Read More

Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California prevailed in obtaining a unanimous California Supreme Court opinion that will help ensure that access to electronic records, such as police body camera footage, is not dependent on the requester’s wealth. Read More

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The California Supreme Court today rejected a lawsuit that would have forced the governor to halt the transfer of individuals from state prisons and county jails to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers that are potential death traps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

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The ACLU denounces actions taken by Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager and Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward to keep people in jail during the COVID-19 crisis by circumventing and opposing the emergency bail schedule. Read More

Attorneys for the Coalition on Homelessness demanded that Mayor Breed stop shirking her mandatory health duties, and allow COVID-19 testing of all shelter residents, as well as follow the recent City ordinance requiring that hotel rooms be made available for all unhoused people during the shelter-in-place ordinance. Read More

Jah, who never appeared to pose a threat, was tackled, pinned, and punched by the officer on April 27, 2020 in the area of Mills Station Road and Mather Field Road in Rancho Cordova, CA. Jah and his family are in our thoughts as they heal and recover from this traumatic event. Read More

In an emergency order, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in response to a challenge by immigrants detained at two California immigration detention centers where conditions are rife for the spread of COVID-19. Read More

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, along with the First Amendment Coalition, Public Justice, and Silicon Valley De-Bug have monitored and advocated for public access to the Santa Clara County Superior Court since the court’s March 23 general order closing the court to the public and the press. Read More