SoCal Residents Sue DHS For Unlawful Arrest and Detention
Southern California residents, workers, and advocacy groups sued the Department of Homeland Security for abducting and disappearing community members using unlawful stop and arrest practices and confining them in illegal conditions.
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.
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May 16, 2020
Wilson v. Ponce
First Amendment and Democracy
Status: Filed
More than 700 people, including several staff members, have tested positive for COVID-19 on Terminal Island in Los Angeles. At least nine have died.
This crisis need never to have reached such...
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May 13, 2020
California Attorneys for Criminal Justice v. Newsom
Immigrants' Rights
Status: Lost
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...
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Apr 30, 2020
Ahlman v. Barnes
Jails Project
Status: Filed
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...
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Apr 16, 2020
Kidd v. Noem
Immigrants' Rights
Status: Filed
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...
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Apr 14, 2020
Roman v. Wolf
Immigrants' Rights
Status: Filed
A hearing on the final approval of the settlement agreement has been rescheduled to June 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM in Judge Hatter’s courtroom.
Medical authorities have emphatically stated that...
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Mar 30, 2020
Robles v. Wolf
Immigrants' Rights
Status: Filed
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...