The ACLU Foundation of Southern California undertakes litigation when doing so is the most effective way to advance a civil liberties concern. We file lawsuits that will have an impact on people’s rights by setting a legal precedent or affecting the policies and actions of public officials. We both provide direct legal representation to people and file amicus (friend-of-the-court) briefs addressing civil liberties issues in cases initiated by others. All of the ACLU SoCal’s legal work is on a pro bono basis; we never charge for our legal services.
Police officers’ legal authority to kill underwent a key change in California on January 1, 2020, when a new law stated that lethal force was justifiable only “when necessary in defense of human life.”...
Pablo Simental, Jr. and three friends — all of whom were high school students — were walking towards the Wonderful College Prep Academy on their way to pick up prom passes when a police car pulled aside...
In May of 2020, more than 900 people incarcerated in Lompoc had tested positive for the virus — that’s more than 65% of positive tests in all of Santa Barbara County, where the prison facilities are located...