News & Commentary

When Vickie Mena heard that her hometown of Adelanto, CA was considering plans to build yet another prison, she decided to express her concerns through a most time-honored American tradition: she organized a protest on the City Hall lawn. But the Adelanto officials had other ideas.

The recent disclosure that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been tracking the Internet and phone activity of American citizens is about more than just government surveillance: It has profound implications for freedom of the press.

By Mitra Ebadolahi, Legal Fellow, ACLU National Security Project The ACLU is appearing today before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to argue on behalf of our client, Nick George. In August 2009, Nick went to the Philadelphia International Airport to catch a flight to California and begin his senior year at Pomona College. At the airport, he was detained, abusively interrogated, handcuffed, and jailed for several hours in a holding cell – solely because he was carrying a set of Arabic-English flashcards for his language studies, and a book critical of U.S. foreign policy.

via Jordon Cooper "What are we talkin' bout? Practice? We talkin' bout practice, man. We not even talking about the game," said former NBA superstar Allen Iverson almost ten years ago. His now memorable words came to mind when I read that Los Angeles officials are negotiating with Occupy protesters to break down the camp at City Hall Park and relocate it. Why will the many weeks' long peaceful protest and encampment be closed down, you may ask? Is it concern over public health? Nope. Is it a threat to public safety? Think again. It's the lawn.

The ACLU of Southern California celebrates LGBT History Month by participating in several events that highlight the LGBT community's rich history and ongoing struggle for equality.

I had vowed never to return to the United Arab Emirates. In 2008-09, I represented Naji Hamdan, a Lebanese-American businessman who was tortured for three months in a secret prison and prosecuted on baseless terrorism charges. I observed Naji’s trial in the United Arab Emirates and came face to face with the injustices of its criminal justice system. I had vowed never to return to the UAE but human rights abuses happen in every part of the world, and the case of the men the media are calling the “UAE 5” drew me in.

The ACLU of Southern California recently released its 2011 Annual Report. Below is a welcome letter from ACLU/SC Executive Director Hector Villagra.

No student trying to visit the website for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) from a school computer should be confronted with a stop sign.  But that's precisely what happened to a student in Virginia, which spurred our "Don’t Filter Me!" campaign.