Cases

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.

Filter Cases

California Attorneys for Criminal Justice v. Newsom

Conditions at ICE detention centers and county incarceration facilities — where bunk beds are commonly three-feet or less apart, bathrooms are shared by large groups, and individuals are forced to be inches from each other, sometimes in chains — make it impossible to maintain the social distancin

May 13, 2020

Ahlman v. Barnes

This class-action lawsuit seeks to force Sheriff Don Barnes and Orange County to take urgent steps to remedy conditions in Orange County jails during the pandemic. Specifically, it calls for the immediate release of vulnerable and disabled people in jail, plus greatly expanded social distancing

April 30, 2020

Kidd v. Wolf

The "police" officers at the door look the part: flak jackets, tactical gear, guns, and the word POLICE emblazoned on their outfits. They even announce they are "the police."

But they are not the police.

April 16, 2020

Roman v. Wolf

Medical authorities have emphatically stated that maintaining a social distance of six feet is crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19. But conditions at Adelanto, used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to imprison about 1,300 people, make that impossible.

April 14, 2020

Robles v. Wolf

Six people detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County with medical conditions that make them highly vulnerable to serious illness and death if infected with COVID-19 filed a lawsuit in federal court against U.S.

March 30, 2020

Bahena v. ICE

Thirteen immigrants detained in Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield, California and at Yuba County Jail. filed a lawsuit in federal district court against U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement calling for their immediate release.

March 25, 2020