News
Our lawyers and advocates are among the nation's leading experts on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. Read the latest on the ACLU of Northern California’s work. To schedule a press interview, call (415) 621-2493 or contact press@aclunc.org.
Civil Rights and Community Organizations Seek Court Order to Block Three California Prosecutors from Unlawful Efforts to Reinstate Executions
Mar 05, 2021
The ACLU and four local community organizations are seeking a court order to block unlawful efforts by three district attorneys to undo an agreement between the state and people on death row that followed Governor Newsom’s moratorium on executions.
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ACLU Files Appeal to California Department of Education Alleging Black and Latinx Students Excluded from San Marin High School Magnet Program
Mar 04, 2021
ACLU NorCal filed an appeal to the California Department of Education on behalf of a parent in the Novato Unified School District who uncovered data demonstrating that Black and Latinx students are disproportionately excluded from the San Marin High School STEM program, and that the district’s admissions process for the program perpetuates bias against students of color.
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ACLU Files New Claims Against Tulare County Sheriff Regarding COVID-19 Outbreak and Lockdown Policy in County Jails
Feb 25, 2021
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and co-counsel Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP have filed new claims against the Tulare County Sheriff regarding his mismanagement of a COVID-19 outbreak in the county jails and his implementation of a cruel cell confinement policy that has caused physical and psychological harm to incarcerated people.
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Civil Rights Groups File Federal Lawsuit to Block Unlawful and Life-Endangering Immigration Arrests
Feb 22, 2021
The Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus and the ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a class-action lawsuit demanding that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stop its illegal practice of using third-party contractor, G4S Secure Solutions, Inc., to arrest people at jails and prisons to funnel them into the deportation pipeline.
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Equity and community groups call on the Governor to restore vaccine priority for people in congregate settings
Feb 17, 2021
The ACLU of California, joined by members of the Community Vaccine Advisory Committee and numerous other equity, health access, and community organizations called on Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health to immediately prioritize people in congregate living environments for vaccine access.
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ACLU Releases Digital Resource for Students on Racial Equity & Student Expression in Schools
Feb 16, 2021
In California and across the country, there is a statistically verified pattern of discrimination against Black students by teachers and administrators. This resource provides students and parents with clear information about their rights and methods they can employ to confront efforts to thwart their self-expression.
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ACLU Joins Tribal Nations in Support of Humboldt County AG Judgment Extension to Protect Native Children
Feb 08, 2021
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California joins the call of four sovereign Tribal Nations, the Yurok Tribe, Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, the Wiyot Tribe, and the Trinidad Rancheria, to support the California Attorney General's effort to extend a 2018 judgment regarding Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) failures to resolve serious deficiencies in the ...
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Demand Letter to ICE: Release All Detained Immigrants
Feb 01, 2021
Today, new enforcement priorities under the Biden administration – set out in a memo issued by Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske on January 20 — go into effect, marking a sharp reversal of a 2017 Trump directive under which virtually any undocumented immigrant was an ICE target.
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ACLU of Northern California Statement on President Biden's Repeal of the Muslim and African "Travel" Bans
Jan 20, 2021
Today, we celebrate the Biden Administration’s swift action to repeal the Muslim and African “Travel” Bans—the result of the advocacy, drive, and resilience of impacted communities. Over four years, and after a series of legal challenges by advocates including the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, former-President Trump pushed forward various iterations of the Muslim and African Bans that tr...
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ACLU Statement on Violence at the U.S. Capitol Building
Jan 06, 2021
In response to the violence at the U.S. Capitol building, delaying the certification of the Electoral College tally, ACLU leaders issued the following statements:
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Settlement Agreement Between City of Palo Alto and Plaintiffs in Civil Rights Lawsuit Opens Foothills Park to All
Dec 16, 2020
A revised municipal ordinance opening Foothills Park to all people has become effective under law, ending Palo Alto’s 55-year history of keeping the public land exclusive to city residents.
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