Human Rights
Weir v. U.S.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit in June 2019 against the United States and the head of the U.S. Coast Guard on behalf of four Jamaican fishermen, who were forcibly removed from their fishing boat and detained for over a month at sea on four U.S. Coast Guard ships in patently inhumane conditions.
Status: Ongoing
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26 Human Rights Cases
U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2022
Human Rights
Egbert v. Boule
Whether a damages remedy should be available when a federal agent violated the plaintiff’s First and Fourth Amendment rights by entering private property without a warrant, throwing the plaintiff to the ground without justification, and then retaliated against him for exercising his right to seek redress from the government.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2022
Human Rights
Egbert v. Boule
Whether a damages remedy should be available when a federal agent violated the plaintiff’s First and Fourth Amendment rights by entering private property without a warrant, throwing the plaintiff to the ground without justification, and then retaliated against him for exercising his right to seek redress from the government.
Court Case
Jul 2019
Human Rights
Women's Rights
IACHR Petition for Domestic Workers Trafficked by Diplomats
The ACLU, along with co-counsel the University of Chicago International Human Rights Clinic and organizations including Andolan, Adhikaar, CASA of Maryland, Damayan, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, has been fighting to hold the U.S. accountable for the A-3 & G-5 visa programs that have enabled the trafficking of domestic workers by diplomats and other foreign officials. Currently pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is a petition on behalf of six former domestic workers and three advocacy organizations alleging that the U.S. violated its human rights obligations by failing to take meaningful steps to prevent, investigate, and remedy the exploitation of migrant domestic workers by employers covered by diplomatic immunity.
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Court Case
Jul 2019
Human Rights
Women's Rights
IACHR Petition for Domestic Workers Trafficked by Diplomats
The ACLU, along with co-counsel the University of Chicago International Human Rights Clinic and organizations including Andolan, Adhikaar, CASA of Maryland, Damayan, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, has been fighting to hold the U.S. accountable for the A-3 & G-5 visa programs that have enabled the trafficking of domestic workers by diplomats and other foreign officials. Currently pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is a petition on behalf of six former domestic workers and three advocacy organizations alleging that the U.S. violated its human rights obligations by failing to take meaningful steps to prevent, investigate, and remedy the exploitation of migrant domestic workers by employers covered by diplomatic immunity.
Court Case
Dec 2017
Human Rights
Human Rights Hearing on Police Killings in U.S.
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Court Case
Dec 2017
Human Rights
Human Rights Hearing on Police Killings in U.S.
Court Case
Mar 2017
Human Rights
Immigrants' Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Hearing on Trump's Executive Orders
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is meeting in Washington, D.C., for a regular session covering human rights issues in North and South America. This session, the Commission will be holding, at its own initiative, a hearing on the human rights implications of President Trump’s executive orders on the Muslim and refugee ban, immigration enforcement and detention, and the approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline. 6 groups were invited to present testimony including the ACLU.
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Court Case
Mar 2017
Human Rights
Immigrants' Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Hearing on Trump's Executive Orders
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is meeting in Washington, D.C., for a regular session covering human rights issues in North and South America. This session, the Commission will be holding, at its own initiative, a hearing on the human rights implications of President Trump’s executive orders on the Muslim and refugee ban, immigration enforcement and detention, and the approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline. 6 groups were invited to present testimony including the ACLU.
Court Case
Mar 2015
Human Rights
IACHR Hearing on Lack of Workplace Protection for Undocumented Workers
On March 16, the ACLU, the National Employment Law Project, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Transnational Legal Clinic will testify before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. At issue is the U.S. government’s failure to ensure that undocumented workers in the United States can access workplace protections. While undocumented workers undertake some of the most dangerous, low-wage jobs in the United States, the patchwork of state labor laws leaves many of these workers vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination, without legal protections when they are injured at work. Moreover, some employers have taken advantage of this situation to report undocumented workers to immigration officers for deportation when they report labor abuses.
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Court Case
Mar 2015
Human Rights
IACHR Hearing on Lack of Workplace Protection for Undocumented Workers
On March 16, the ACLU, the National Employment Law Project, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Transnational Legal Clinic will testify before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. At issue is the U.S. government’s failure to ensure that undocumented workers in the United States can access workplace protections. While undocumented workers undertake some of the most dangerous, low-wage jobs in the United States, the patchwork of state labor laws leaves many of these workers vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination, without legal protections when they are injured at work. Moreover, some employers have taken advantage of this situation to report undocumented workers to immigration officers for deportation when they report labor abuses.