Press Releases

EFF and ACLU sue Los Angeles law enforcement agencies over automatic license-plate reader records

Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department withheld data in violation of the California Public Records Act  LOS ANGELES – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU/SC) today jointly filed suit against two Los Angeles-area law-enforcement agencies over their failure to produce records related to the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs)
Issue Areas: Police Practices

Federal Court Strikes Down City Ordinance Limiting Free Speech

PASADENA — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a major decision in a case the ACLU of Southern California filed in 2006. It struck down an ordinance in the city of Costa Mesa that limited free speech at its City Council meetings.

Students, Parents, and Teachers Sue the State of California over Widespread Denial of Instruction to English Learner Students

Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit after State Education Officials Failed to Act in Response to January 2013 Report Documenting the Illegal Practice LOS ANGELES — The ACLU of California (ACLU), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), and the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP today filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of public school students, parents, and educators against the State of California and state education officials related to the denial of language instruction to tens of thousands of English Learner (EL) students across California, in violation of federal and state law. 
Issue Areas: Education Equity

ACLU of California Responds to Gang of 8 Immigration Plan

Statement by Hector Villagra, Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California: "The ACLU of California welcomes the federal comprehensive immigration reform bill announced late Tuesday night by the Senate Gang of 8. This historic bill has the potential to advance the civil rights and liberties of all Californians and put the estimated 2.6 million undocumented immigrants who currently live in our state on the road to citizenship.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights

School Success and Opportunity Act Passes Assembly Education Committee

(Sacramento) The School Success and Opportunity Act (AB 1266), authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, has passed the Assembly Education Committee by a vote of 5-2. The School Success and Opportunity Act addresses the exclusion of transgender students from classes and activities, and clarifies existing anti-discrimination law to provide clear protections to transgender students.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ Rights

Ninth Circuit Rules Detained Immigrants Have Legal Right to Bond Hearings

(Los Angeles) A panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that immigrants who have experienced prolonged detention have a right to a bond hearing to determine whether or not they should continue to be detained.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights

ACLU/SC Deputy Executive Director James Gilliam recipient of Loyola Law School award

(Los Angeles) Today, the ACLU of Southern California (ACLU/SC) is proud to announce that its Deputy Executive Director James Gilliam is a recipient of Loyola Law School’s Outlaw Alumni of the Year Award. Gilliam received his law degree from Loyola Law School in 2003 and has been one of its most active alumni.  The Outlaw Alumni Award is bestowed on graduates who demonstrate, in their practice of law and public service, a deep concern for social justice and an unwavering commitment to advance the rights of the LGBT community.