In response to an announcement by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) clarifying how agents should issue "detainers," or holds for potential deportation proceedings placed on an immigrant arrested by local law enforcement, Staff Attorney Jennie Pasquarella of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California issued the following statement:

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will grant review in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the challenge to California’s Proposition 8, and in Windsor v. United States, the ACLU’s challenge to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.

Leaders in the fields of entertainment, law and civil liberties activism headlined the list of honorees at the ACLU of Southern California’s 2012 Bill of Rights Dinner. Director and producer Jay Roach, actor and activist Jane Lynch and talent manager “Scooter” Braun each received the Bill of Rights Award for furthering the cause of civil liberties;

A Detention Watch Network report released today documents the grim conditions for immigrant detainees housed at Orange County’s Theo Lacy Detention Center, including widespread abuse and substandard medical care.

A coalition of faith-based and human rights groups has released an open letter titled "Community Message to the Next DA," signed by more than 2,000 LA County residents and voters, that presses the next LA County District Attorney to adopt policies and practices the coalition believes will divert many at-risk people from entering jails and prisons and having their lives blighted by conviction with jail time.

Six people have brought a landmark class-action lawsuit against Sheriff Baca and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) on grounds they are or were illegally detained in the jails and stations of Los Angeles County Jail for days, weeks, or months after they were entitled to be released because they are the subject of “immigration holds.”

A federal judge ruled yesterday in the case of California Justice Committee, et al. v. Bowen that California’s January deadline for attaining formal recognition as a political party is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced against political groups seeking recognition as political parties so that their candidates appear on the November presidential ballot.

A federal judge has formally granted a request by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Legal Center, and Winston & Strawn LLP to approve class action status for a lawsuit against Sheriff Lee Baca and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The class includes all prisoners who need accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) who are in the L.A. County Jail. 

The ACLU of Southern California's report, “Sheriff Baca’s Strike Force: Deputy Violence and Head Injuries of Inmates in LA County Jails,” compiles 64 sworn statements from inmates, former inmates and civilian eyewitnesses that describe attacks in which deputies targeted inmates’ heads. Learn more about the jails project here.