Court Cases

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed claims with the federal government on behalf of sisters who were led by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer into a small room, one at a time, and sexually assaulted.

In 2015, the California Legislature enacted SB 227 to try to ensure that prosecutors use a public process when deciding whether to criminally charge police officers accused in shootings or other uses of excessive force, as opposed to using secret grand-jury proceedings. The Court of Appeal held that the law is unconstitutional because it conflicts the constitutional role of the grand jury. The ACLU Foundations of California supported SB 227 and has now asked the California Supreme Court to grant review in the case. 

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California representing YWCA of Silicon Valley filed a motion to intervene in this lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from so-called "sanctuary cities." 

The City of San Jose claims that that electronic messages dealing with official business that its employees send to one another are not public records if the employees send them using their personal accounts or devices. The ACLU Foundations of California and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are asking the California Supreme Court to grant review in the interest of an open and transparent government. 

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California sued President Donald J. Trump, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for establishing and enforcing an unconstitutional and discriminatory Muslim ban.

The ACLU Foundations of California filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s Suspicious Activity Reporting program - a vast expansion of the federal government’s domestic intelligence network. The SAR program targets First Amendment-protected activity, encourages racial and religious profiling, and violates federal law. The plaintiffs are five U.S. citizens whose information has been entered into counterterrorism databases for engaging in lawful conduct.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is violating the constitutional rights of homeless people by confiscating and destroying their property in ongoing sweeps. The class-action suit seeks a permanent injunction to stop this illegal practice throughout California. 

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a lawsuit challenging a law that gives unlimited discretion over executions to the California Department of Corrections. 

The ACLU Foundations of California filed suit against Secretary of State Alex Padilla challenging two statutes that prohibit voters from sharing ballot selfies. The suit asks for a temporary restraining order to prohibit the state from enforcing the ban for the November presidential election.