News & Commentary

SAN FRANCISCO - Today the California Supreme Court ruled that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom did not have the authority to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and declared the licenses issued to thousands of same-sex couples invalid. The ruling does not address whether same-sex couples must be allowed to marry under the California Constitution. That issue is being litigated in a separate lawsuit brought by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal and the ACLU. Legal briefs are being filed in that lawsuit in the next few weeks, and the case is expected to move quickly in state court.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced on Tuesday that it will offer free legal representation to all persons in the Southern California area who are questioned by the FBI in its latest dragnet interview program.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed a request on Tuesday under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) seeking information about the recent immigration raids across Southern California.

PASADENA - In a victory for civil liberties, the Pasadena City Council today passed a resolution condemning the unconstitutional aspects of the USA-PATRIOT Act. By passing the resolution, the City of Pasadena, joins over 332 cities, counties and even states throughout the nation that have passed similar resolutions.

LOS ANGELES - In a ruling today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a previous federal district court decision that the presence of a cross located on the federal Mojave Desert Preserve is a religious symbol and violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

LOS ANGELES - In a stinging rebuke to the California Department of Corrections today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the release of Billy Soza Warsoldier, a Cahuilla Native American who had refused to cut his hair short on religious grounds, from the Adelanto Community Correctional Facility in Adelanto, California. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, together with the law firm of Bingham McCutchen, had filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Warsoldier after learning that he was being penalized for practicing his religion, a central tenet of which is the prohibition of cutting his hair except upon the death of a loved one. Mr. Warsoldier was denied visitation rights and other privileges for refusing to comply with the Department of Corrections' grooming policy, which stipulates that male inmates must keep their hair no longer than three inches.

LOS ANGELES - As hundreds of same-sex couples in Massachusetts become the first in the country to obtain marriage licenses pursuant to a ruling by a state supreme court, lesbian and gay couples in California fervently hope that the legislature and courts will move quickly to end marriage discrimination in California as well.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and Being Alive Los Angeles, an organization of, by and for people living with HIV and AIDS, today sent a stern letter to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health Services about the methods used to obtain the private medical records of adult industry actors who had been provided with treatment by the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM).

Today's vote on AB 1967 marks a significant step towards marriage equality for all Californians. Assemblymember Mark Leno's bill would simply ensure that same-sex couples are treated fairly and equally under the eyes of the law when it comes to marriage.