Tag Archives: ACLU

Via press release from the ACLU: In an important win for free speech and the LGBTQ+ community, a federal court today granted a preliminary injunction in favor of Naples Pride, clearing the way for the organization to once again host a family-friendly drag performance on the mainstage of a public park during its annual Pridefest celebration. In a decisive 49-page …

The Associated Press reports: A class action lawsuit filed Friday asks a federal court to reinstate the legal status of international students caught up in a Trump administration crackdown that has left more than a thousand fearful of deportation. The suit filed by several American Civil Liberties Union affiliates seeks to represent more than 100 students in New England and …

NPR reports: The Supreme Court on Saturday blocked, for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law. In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.” Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. The high …

Politico reports: The Trump administration is on the verge of deporting another group of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, lawyers for the immigrants told federal courts Friday. The lawyers said the administration is directly defying a Supreme Court order by attempting further deportations without due process. They filed an emergency appeal at the high court …

The New York Times reports: A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to keep federal funding in place for hospitals that offer gender-transition treatments for people under the age of 19. The temporary restraining order issued by Judge Brendan A. Hurson, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, came in a case brought by six …

The Associated Press reports: Immigration advocacy groups on Monday sued the Trump administration over its ban on asylum access at the southern border, saying the sweeping restrictions illegally put people who are fleeing war and persecution in harm’s way. The decision outlined in one of President Donald Trump’s immigration-related executive orders is “as unlawful as it is unprecedented,” the groups …

“Denying citizenship to U.S.-born children is not only unconstitutional — it’s also a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values. Birthright citizenship is part of what makes the United States the strong and dynamic nation that it is. “This order seeks to repeat one of the gravest errors in American history, by creating a permanent subclass of people born in …

From the ACLU’s about page: The ACLU is non-partisan and non-profit. We do not receive any government funding. Our work is supported by member dues as well as contributions and grants from private foundations and individuals. Gifts made to the ACLU directly fund crucial litigation, communications and public education initiatives. You can directly contribute to the fight to defend our …

The Washington Post reports: Civil-liberties lawyers alarmed by President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to launch mass deportations of undocumented immigrants sued the federal government Monday for information about how authorities might quickly remove people from the United States. The federal lawsuit alleges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has failed to respond to requests for basic information about its existing contracts …

Via press release from the ACLU of Vermont: The ACLU and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) settled a lawsuit against the Vermont State Police on behalf of Gregory Bombard, whose First Amendment rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018. The terms of the ACLU and FIRE’s settlement include $100,000 in damages …

Via press release from the ACLU: Yesterday, the Biden administration announced executive actions that will legally restrict people’s right to seek asylum. Among the measures announced, the administration will effectively shut off asylum for the overwhelming majority of people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Biden’s executive action takes the same basic approach as the Trump administration’s “entry ban,” which the …

ABC News reports: This year, state legislators introduced and passed a record-breaking number of legislative efforts targeting LGBTQ healthcare, access to public accommodations, inclusion in education, and more in the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union said it recorded at least 508 bills impacting the community in 2023, adding 84 of these bills were passed into law. The rise in …

The Messenger reports: The federal judge overseeing the election-subversion case against Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to allow the American Civil Liberties Union to enter a legal brief in the proceedings. The ACLU on Oct. 25 submitted a motion seeking the court’s permission to enter an amicus brief in the case in which it argued that a partial gag order …

Nashville’s NBC affiliate reports: The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU), among others, is suing the City of Murfreesboro over a new anti-drag ordinance and local policy that’s preventing BoroPride. The ACLU said they’re filing this suit on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), founder and host of the annual BoroPride Festival. The suit alleges that the city …

The Associated Press reports: A local LGBTQ pride group was excluded from a southwest Iowa town’s Labor Day parade, apparently by the city’s mayor, who cited safety concerns. Shenandoah Pride planned to have a small group walking with a banner and a drag performer riding in a convertible, with candy, popsicles and stickers to hand out in the parade in …

NBC News reports: A coalition of reproductive and civil rights groups launched an effort Tuesday to advance an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution, making the swing state the latest battleground in the post-Roe era. The coalition — led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, NARAL Arizona and several …

The Texas Tribune reports: LGBTQ+ Texans and advocates filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block a new state law that criminalizes some drag shows — and other performances — if they occur in front of children. The plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU of Texas, argue that SB 12 violates the First and 14th Amendments because the law “discriminates against the …

The Birmingham News reports: Two clinic owners in Alabama and the ACLU filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to prevent prosecutions of people who provide information or assistance to women who want to travel out of state to get abortions. Alabama law prohibits doctors and others from performing abortions. The two plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Dr. Yashica Robinson and Robin Marty, …

NPR reports: The ACLU of Indiana has filed a lawsuit to halt Indiana’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. Court documents said the act’s lack of definitions about “human sexuality” and “instruction” mean teachers don’t know what they can and can’t teach. If found in violation of HEA 1608, teachers could have their licenses suspended or revoked. The lawsuit was filed …

The Independent reports: Kevin Bacon has gone viral with a video he made in protest of the drag bans. On Sunday, he posted a video of him and his wife, the actor Kyra Sedgwick, dancing to Taylor Swift’s song “Karma” and wearing t-shirts with the slogan “Drag is an art and drag is a right”. In the caption to the …