News & Commentary

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today applauded the Supreme Court's decisions upholding the principle that public universities may continue to use affirmative action to ensure a diverse student body. In two landmark rulings, the Supreme Court upheld the race-conscious admissions policies of the University of Michigan's law school while rejecting as unconstitutional the undergraduate school's 'point system.'

LOS ANGELES - A Novato parent's group and a Los Angeles-based children's theater company filed a motion today in federal court to intervene as defendants in the case Citizens for Parental Rights v. Novato Unified School District. The ACLU of Southern California, ACLU of Northern California, and National Center for Lesbian Rights and the National ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Project are representing a local coalition of parents, students and organizations concerned with equality, United for Safe Schools Novato; and the educational theater company, Fringe Benefits.

LOS ANGELES - In a letter sent today to California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the American Civil Liberties Union expressed utter dismay over revelations reported in Sunday's Oakland Tribune that the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center (CATIC) since 'day one' has been used to gather and analyze information on activists and protest activity and is being used to compile dossiers on a wide range of organizations. CATIC is a state intelligence agency that was established shortly after September 11 to analyze and disseminate information about terrorist threats

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today filed a lawsuit against an Orange County-based foster family and adoption agency for discriminating against a lesbian couple who sought to become certified as a foster family, with the goal of adopting children in foster care.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today sent a letter to Los Angeles Councilmember Jan Perry, an advocate of police sweeps in the downtown area, calling on her to end attempts to shift blame on the pressing issue of homelessness in Los Angeles and instead start to work towards a solution that is both humane and constitutional.

LOS ANGELES - In a victory for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the National Lawyers Guild, a federal judge has ordered a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against certain practices employed by the LAPD during the so-called "probation sweeps" being conducted by police officers in the Skid Row area.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California together with the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Progressive Jewish Alliance, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have announced the creation of a hotline for Iraqi-Americans seeking legal assistance with FBI interviews. The U.S. government has announced that they are seeking to interview over 10,000 Iraqis throughout the nation in an effort to gather information related to the Iraq conflict.

LOS ANGELES - In one of the first challenges to LAPD Chief William Bratton's "broken windows" policy, the ACL Union and the National Lawyers Guild filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging the legality of the so-called "probation sweeps" that have been implemented in the skid row area.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has announced the settlement of a lawsuit alleging inadequate mental health services for dependent children in Los Angeles County's child-welfare system.