Ramona Ripston, who led the ACLU of Southern California for nearly four decades, died on Saturday. She was 91. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, issued the following statement: “On Saturday, we lost my friend …
On Monday, a federal appeals court will hear oral argument in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a case of great concern to advocates for children in foster care, the LGBTQ community, faith leaders, and states that are committed to ensuring non-discrimination …
We sign things all the time – to pay for groceries with a credit card or end a letter to a friend, for example. Rarely do our signatures come under scrutiny. Yet, a number of states are denying people the right to vote because the signature on their …
On Thursday, a sheriff’s office in Kentucky has agreed to pay more than $337,000 for the painful and unconstitutional handcuffing of elementary school students with disabilities. The two plaintiffs, both of whom were children of color and both of whom have …
Forty years ago, working women in the United States won the legal protection to become working mothers. On Oct. 31, 1978, Congress enacted the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, making it illegal for employers to deny a woman a job — or promotion, or higher pay …
This past weekend’s mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh was unspeakable, but unfortunately not unimaginable. Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States by some counts increased by 57 percent last year, the largest surge in nearly four decades of …
As Ohio voters head to the polls next week, many will struggle to overcome congressional districts that have allowed politicians to choose their voters instead of the other way around. Thanks to an aggressive redistricting operation, Ohio’s current …
Since June, the federal government has been operating a massive tent city in the West Texas desert to detain immigrant children who have traveled to the United States seeking protection from persecution and abuse in their home countries. Last week, I …
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: AUTOMATIC CITIZENSHIP BY LOCATION OF BIRTH When an American mother gives birth in Mexico, is her child a Mexican? If an American family is serving as missionaries in China, are all of their children born in China citizens of China? …
When President Trump announced on Monday that he planned to send some 5,000 military troops to fortify the southern border, even his supporters were quick to dismiss this as a political stunt. A convoy of migrants, many of whom are families with young …
On Nov. 6, Americans will head to the polls to exercise their right to vote. The day before, the ACLU will head to trial to try to prevent the Trump administration from diluting the political influence of millions of people for years to come. In March, …
An American illegally detained in Iraq by the U.S. military for more than a year has finally won his freedom. On Sunday, after a long court battle, the Trump administration let our client go. Under a settlement agreement, he was released in a third country …
Last week, Jeff Sessions attacked a court ruling that gave a temporary reprieve to hundreds of thousands of immigrants facing imminent deportation after years of living lawfully in this country. "Federal district court judges are not empowered to …
New York City Transit President Andy Byford announced this week that he would ask the city, including the police, to help respond to homeless people exhibiting “offensive, obnoxious and anti-social” behavior on subways. The comments prompt fresh concerns …
I was in funeral services for nearly three decades before I was fired in 2013 for being transgender. In March, a federal appeals court agreed that it was wrong to fire me just because of who I am. Now, the Supreme Court will consider whether to review that …
When Richard Gardner, a convicted child sex offender, was released from prison after serving almost 30 years, he quietly moved into the Washington Park neighborhood in Providence. One would not have expected a welcome wagon — but an angry mob should not …
Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump think federal law shouldn’t protect transgender people. They think it should be legal to fire someone just because she’s trans. Five federal appeals courts disagree. On Wednesday, the ACLU asked the Supreme Court to let stand …
Over the weekend, The New York Times revealed that officials within the Trump administration are pushing for a definition of the term “sex” in federal civil rights laws that would eliminate non-discrimination protections for transgender people. Transgender …
In a victory for the people of Georgia, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the state can no longer charge individuals hundreds of dollars to see the laws that govern them. To get there, the court relied on a central tenet of American democracy: …
Patrick Beadle, a 46-year-old father and musician, received an eight-year prison sentence in Mississippi for possessing 2.89 pounds of marijuana. If his sentence stands, he would spend nearly a decade behind bars for possessing a substance that is legal in …
