Court Cases

The ACLU and our partners filed a lawsuit to stop an unlawful and discriminatory program by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that systematically targets, investigates, and intimidates naturalized U.S. citizens. The lawsuit was filed by OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, OCA-San Mateo, OCA-Sacramento, Common Cause, ACLU of Northern California, ACLU of Southern California, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), represented by the ACLU Voting Rights Project. Since August 2026, USCIS has run what it calls an “Unlawful Voter Initiative” aimed at tracking and investigating foreign-born citizens under the guise of voter eligibility checks. As a result, thousands of fully naturalized American citizens are subjected to improper investigations, door-to-door interrogations, and potential disenfranchisement based on flawed government data. The lawsuit aims to immediately stop the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from continuing the Unlawful Voter Initiative. It also seeks to block the federal government from pressuring state election officials to withhold or discard valid ballots cast by individuals appearing on DHS’s unreliable lists. Additionally, the legal action demands a formal declaratory judgment establishing that the initiative violates the Civil Rights Act’s Uniform Standards Provision, the Privacy Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).            

We’re challenging the governor’s authority to reverse parole as a violation of the rights of young people.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California, along with Sullivan & Cromwell, won a lawsuit to protect the constitutional rights of defendants with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities in California.

The ACLU and the ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a class action lawsuit seeking to stop censorship and termination of federally funded scientific research.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California sued the city of Modesto over an ordinance that unlawfully bans anonymity and safety gear at protests.

The ACLU of Northern California filed a lawsuit to compel the city of Vallejo to release public records that contain information about officers in the Vallejo Police Department who allegedly bent their badges after on-duty shootings as a badge of honor. Following litigation, the City of Vallejo was forced to release a long-suppressed third-party investigation into the allegations.

We filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy of arresting immigrants when they appear for court in Northern California and holding them in inhumane conditions inside the San Francisco ICE field office.

In November 2025, the ACLU and the ACLU of Northern California filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking transparency about the Department of Homeland Security’s policies and practices related to people filming immigration and law enforcement activity.

Davi Luks, a retired schoolteacher and longtime Contra Costa County resident, wanted to protest the human cost of the war in Gaza. So, he posted several signs and flags on his property in El Sobrante in the county’s unincorporated area. County code enforcement fined him $4,300, claiming he had violated the county’s sign ordinance – a flagrant violation of his First Amendment rights. Today, the ACLU of Northern California filed a federal lawsuit against Contra Costa County on behalf of Luks. It calls for the court to declare the ordinance unconstitutional. The suit also demands that county officials return Luks’ unlawful $4,300 fine and remove the lien from his property.