News & Commentary

This is a joint release by the ACLU of Southern California and the County of Orange.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The continued incarceration of a transgender refugee from Mexico who was tortured in her home country and has been granted asylum by a U.S. immigration judge is 'unconstitutional,' the ACLU and two legal partners argued in a petition filed today.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Pioneering actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the original 'Star Trek' television series, will receive the Liberty and Justice Award from the ACLU of Southern California Foundation on the closing night of this year's Outfest 2008: the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on Monday, July 21, 2008.

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - The Calabasas City Council passed a resolution that prohibits grant funding to those who sue city officials or employees, which according to the ACLU of Southern California is a violation of First Amendment rights. In a letter, the ACLU/SC informed the City Council that if they do not repeal the resolution they will likely face a lawsuit.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Seven years ago, the federal government accused several Los Angeles residents of providing support to a foreign terrorist organization because of their work on behalf of a charity that assists victims of the current Iranian regime.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The balance between the right of immigrants to equal protection and the duty of Los Angeles police officers to keep communities safe was upheld today when Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu granted summary judgment and dismissed a lawsuit aimed at getting rid of the LAPD's Special Order 40, which prohibits officers from using immigration status to initiate investigations.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Today the U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5 to 4 decision that the federal government cannot undermine the protections of the Constitution simply by choosing where to imprison suspects.

ORANGE, Calif. - One of the first things Sandra Hutchens will have to deal with in her new job as Sheriff of Orange County is a records request from the ACLU of Southern California seeking information about jail policies and procedures in the wake of the grand jury's report on the tragic death of John Derek Chamberlain in one of the county's jails.