News & Commentary

LOS ANGELES – Today a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a class action settlement between inmates with mobility impairments and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.The ACLU Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal), Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC) and the law firm of Winston & Strawn filed the class action lawsuit, Johnson v. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in 2008 on behalf of inmates who were unable to access bathrooms and other facilities in the jails because they had physical disabilities and required special access. The lawsuit alleged the county’s failure to provide basic equipment and access, including wheelchairs, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California and federal statutes, and the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.

This blog originally appeared on Balkinization. 

On the heels of the president’s executive action, the decision by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end the deeply-flawed Secure Communities program is a step in the right direction. But with a new program in its place that will target “enforcement priorities,” we are cautious.

 

Learning takes time. Time to grasp. Time to practice. Time to allow yourself to make mistakes and improve on the next try. One of the critical struggles educators face is finding a way to teach students new skills and concepts in a short amount of time.

By Chris Conley, @manconley

The ACLU of Southern California hosted its 2014 Bill of Rights Dinner on Sunday, November 9, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, paying tribute to individuals committed to the protection of civil liberties and advocacy for equal rights.