Latest American Civil Liberties Union News
LGBTQ+ rights group sues over Iowa law banning school library books, gender identity discussion
Several families are suing to stop Iowa's new law that bans books from school libraries, forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues and forces educators in some cases to out the gender identity of students to their parents. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lambda Legal...
Some Virginia inmates could be released earlier under change to enhanced sentence credit policy
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia prison officials have agreed to give more inmates enhanced earned sentence credits for good behavior to allow for earlier releases from prison. The Washington Post reports that the change comes after the ACLU of Virginia sued the governor, attorney...
Kansas school forced 8-year-old Native American boy to cut his hair, ACLU says
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas grade school forced an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut off his hair after he grew it out for cultural reasons, the American Civil Liberties Union said. In a letter sent Friday, the ACLU demanded that the Girard School District rescind a policy...
Nevada to pay $340,000 in settlement over prison firefighting conditions
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada must pay $340,000 total to the ACLU of Nevada and eight people on a prison firefighting crew in a settlement reached earlier this week, but clears the state of admitting to claims including negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and cruel and...
Maryland officials approve settlement to reform autopsy process after teen's 2018 in-custody death
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland officials approved a settlement Wednesday that reforms the process for conducting autopsies on people killed in police custody, a move that follows the 2018 death of a Black man who died after a struggle with an officer. The settlement ends litigation...
ACLU sues South Dakota over its vanity plate restrictions
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota announced Monday that it is suing South Dakota over a state law that restricts content on vanity plates. The ACLU said in a press release that it filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lyndon Hart, whose application for...
ACLU and families of trans teens ask Supreme Court to block Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys representing Tennessee transgender teens and their families asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to block a ban on gender-affirming care for minors that a lower court allowed to go into effect. Should the nation's highest court agree to take...
ACLU of Virginia plans to spend over $1M on abortion rights messaging
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia says it is making a financial investment unprecedented in its history for this year’s election cycle because of the implications November’s legislative races will hold for abortion access and other policy decisions in the...
Judge temporarily blocks Tennessee city from enforcing ban on drag performances on public property
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked city officials in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from enforcing an ordinance designed to ban drag performances from taking place on public property. An order issued Friday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Waverly...
Settlement over Trump family separations at the border limits future separations for 8 years
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The federal government would be barred from immigration policies that separate parents from children for eight years under a proposed court settlement announced Monday that also provides families that were split under the Trump administration with temporary legal status and...
