ACLU of Northern California v. Wright

The ACLU and the ACLU Foundations of Northern and Southern California filed a lawsuit against the federal government for awarding millions of dollars annually to organizations that are supposed to provide care, including access to medical care, to unaccompanied immigrant minors. The government authorizes some of these organizations to refuse on religious grounds to follow the law that requires them to provide these young people with access to contraception and abortion, even if the minor has been raped.

The suit claims that by authorizing government grantees to impose religiously based restrictions on young women’s access to reproductive health care — care that they are entitled to receive by law — the government has violated the constitutional guarantee of the separation of church and state. Groups like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have been awarded upwards of $10 million annually to care for these young people, despite their explicit refusal to allow these young women to access contraception and abortion. Placing restrictions on reproductive health care has devastating consequences for this population. A high number of unaccompanied immigrant minors have been raped in their home countries or during their journey to the United States, and therefore they have an acute need for critical reproductive health care.

[ORDER] October 11, 2017[/ORDER] Order Denying MOT for Leave to Amend; Denying MOT for Temporary Restraining Order; Denying MOT for Class Certification; Granting MOT for Amicus Curiae Brief. Read the order.

[FILING] October 10, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiffs' Objection to Proposed Amici Curiae's MOT for Leave to File a Brief Before the Oct 11, 2017 Hearing. Read the filing.

[FILING] October 10, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiff's Reply in Support of Plaintiff's Second MOT for Leave to Amend the Complaint. Read the filing.

[FILING] October 10, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiffs' Reply in Support of their MOT for Temporary Restraining Order. Read the filing. Read the filing.

[FILING] October 5, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiffs’ Notice of Motion and Motion for TRO and Preliminary Injunction. Read the filing.

[FILING] October 5, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiffs’ Notice of Motion and Motion for TRO and Preliminary Injunction. Read the filing.[FILING] October 5, 2017[/FILING] Second Amended Complaint; Class Action. Read the filing. [FILING] October 5, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiffs’ Notice of Motion and Motion for Class Certification. Read the filing. [ORDER] February 7, 2017[/ORDER] Order Granting US Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Motion to Intervene. Read the order. [FILING] February 2, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint. Read the filing. [FILING] February 1, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiff’s Notice of Motion and Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint; Declaration of Brigitte Amiri; Exhibit A. Read the filing. [FILING] January 12, 2017[/FILING] Plaintiff's Opposition to US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Motion to Intervene. Read the filing. [ORDER] November 29, 2016[/ORDER] Denying Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint. Read the filing. [FILING] October 18, 2016 [/FILING] ACLU of Northern California’s Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. Read the filing. [FILING] June 24, 2016[/FILING] ACLU of Southern California, ACLU of Northern California, and ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project filed suit. Read the complaint.