Race and Criminal Justice
Fund for Empowerment v. Phoenix, City of
Fund for Empowerment is a challenge to the City of Phoenix’s practice of conducting sweeps of encampments without notice, issuing citations to unsheltered people for camping and sleeping on public property when they have no place else to go, and confiscating and destroying their property without notice or process.
Status: Ongoing
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Court Case
Jun 2020
Race and Criminal Justice
Defy Ventures, Inc. v. Small Business Administration
Suing the Trump administration to lift its unlawful exclusion of businesses owned by people with criminal records from being eligible for Paycheck Protection Act funds
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18 Race and Criminal Justice Cases
North Carolina
Mar 2022
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Johnson v. Jessup
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of North Carolina, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and Southern Coalition for Social Justice are suing the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for indefinitely revoking driver’s licenses of people who cannot afford to pay traffic tickets. North Carolina’s wealth-based license revocation system impacts hundreds of thousands of people each year, preventing them from driving legally to support themselves and their families. This system funnels people unable to pay traffic tickets, particularly people of color, into cycles of debt, traffic violations, and poverty in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s promises of due process and equal protection under the law.
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North Carolina
Mar 2022
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Johnson v. Jessup
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of North Carolina, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and Southern Coalition for Social Justice are suing the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for indefinitely revoking driver’s licenses of people who cannot afford to pay traffic tickets. North Carolina’s wealth-based license revocation system impacts hundreds of thousands of people each year, preventing them from driving legally to support themselves and their families. This system funnels people unable to pay traffic tickets, particularly people of color, into cycles of debt, traffic violations, and poverty in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s promises of due process and equal protection under the law.
Montana
Nov 2020
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Suda v. U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Montana filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two American citizens detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for speaking Spanish while shopping at a local convenience store in Havre, Montana.
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Montana
Nov 2020
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Suda v. U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Montana filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two American citizens detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for speaking Spanish while shopping at a local convenience store in Havre, Montana.
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2019
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Smith v. California 18-7094
Whether the Supreme Court should grant certiorari to prevent courts from allowing prosecutors to use prospective jurors’ opinions about the O.J. Simpson trial or other potential racial proxies as “race-neutral” explanations for striking black jurors without further inquiry.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2019
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Smith v. California 18-7094
Whether the Supreme Court should grant certiorari to prevent courts from allowing prosecutors to use prospective jurors’ opinions about the O.J. Simpson trial or other potential racial proxies as “race-neutral” explanations for striking black jurors without further inquiry.
U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2017
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Peña-Rodriguez v. State of Colorado
Whether a court may consider evidence of racially discriminatory comments during jury deliberations in deciding whether to grant a new trial.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2017
Race and Criminal Justice
Racial Justice
Peña-Rodriguez v. State of Colorado
Whether a court may consider evidence of racially discriminatory comments during jury deliberations in deciding whether to grant a new trial.
Court Case
Sep 2016
Race and Criminal Justice
Kennedy v. City of Biloxi
In the latest pushback against the national scourge of debtors' prisons, on October 21, 2015, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit challenging the illegal arrest and jailing of poor people in Biloxi, Mississippi, without a hearing or representation by counsel. Victims are told they can avoid jail only if they pay the entire amount of outstanding court fines and fees up front, in full, and in cash.
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Court Case
Sep 2016
Race and Criminal Justice
Kennedy v. City of Biloxi
In the latest pushback against the national scourge of debtors' prisons, on October 21, 2015, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit challenging the illegal arrest and jailing of poor people in Biloxi, Mississippi, without a hearing or representation by counsel. Victims are told they can avoid jail only if they pay the entire amount of outstanding court fines and fees up front, in full, and in cash.