ACLU Features

The ACLU-NC filed a suit to demand records from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) about its mysterious acquisition of sodium thiopental, a controlled substance used as part of California’s lethal injection protocol for executing death row inmates.

California voters came out in droves to support Proposition 19 this November. More than 4.1 million people voted for Prop. 19, which would have allowed adults 21 and older to possess and grow small amounts of marijuana for personal use and allow cities and counties to tax and regulate commercial sales. That’s more votes than Meg Whitman or Carly Fiorina garnered. Though the measure didn’t pass, the degree of support marks an undeniable leap forward in the movement to end marijuana prohibition. In the end, Prop. 19 achieved a higher percentage of "yes" votes (46%) than any state-level legalization measure on the ballot over the past decade. 

On July 8, 2009, ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights — representing LGBT community organizations Our Family Coalition, Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, and PFLAG — filed a motion to intervene in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry. The motion to intervene was denied on August 19, 2009.

ACLU of Northern California positions on Propositions on the November 2 Ballot.

Your Rights, Your School is the ACLU in California's contribution to the Make it Better Project, which was launched in response to tragic suicides by LGBTQ youth in recent weeks. Youth have the right to a safe and supportive school environment. No one should suffer through bullying and harassment. Don't just wait for it to get better - let's make it better together! Your Rights, Your School: Inspired by the Make It Better Project, the ACLU's California Affiliates have released a new video on youth bullying and LGBTQ students' rights. A range of clients, youth activists, and staff remind LGBTQ youth in California that they have the right to a safe and supportive school environment. No one should suffer through bullying and harassment. Watch the video and spread the word - let's make it better together!

On Sept. 27, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have ordered California county jails and prisons to stop shackling pregnant women. The bill, AB1900, required new guidelines on restraining pregnant women and would have encouraged counties to adopt these policies. It had overwhelming bipartisan support and passed the legislature without a single "no" vote.

Despite the fact that there are still many unresolved legal issues related to the administration of lethal injection in California, the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) is pushing forward with plans to execute Albert Brown on Thursday, September 30th at 9:00 p.m. The CDCR's actions are hasty and we need your help to stop this execution from happening.

Give a gift the ACLU in honor of a friend's birthday, a wedding, or in memory of a loved one, and protect freedom for future generations.

This video discusses immigration detainers in the context of the expansion of ICE partnerships with state and local law enforcement, limitations on immigration detainers, challenges to immigration detainers, and a current lawsuit in Sonoma County, California.

Practical tips about interacting with police officers in California, with ''dos'' and ''don'ts'' sections about being stopped for questioning, stopped in your car, and being arrested or taken to a police station.

Practical tips about interacting with police officers in California, with ''dos'' and ''don'ts'' sections about being stopped for questioning, stopped in your car, and being arrested or taken to a police station.

Every year tens of thousands of people in California are arrested for simply possessing small amounts of marijuana. These arrests overload our already stressed courts and jails. California's Proposition 19 offers a remedy that will move marijuana policy in a direction that makes sense.

The thousands of women California sends into military service are being deprived of the fundamental right to make pregnancy decisions because federal law prohibits almost all abortion services at U.S. military hospitals. To obtain safe, legal abortion care servicewomen must sometimes travel abroad (and arrange leave) or take their chances with an unsafe, illegal, local or self-induced abortion. Congress should end the ban on private funding of abortion at military facilities. Our Armed Services women deserve more from their country.

Is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spying on Muslim communities in Berkeley, Fresno, Visalia, San Jose or other Northern California communities? We don't know. But the ACLU of Northern California is determined to find out.