National Security
FBI v. Fikre
Whether the government can overcome the voluntary cessation exception to mootness by removing an individual from the No Fly List when the government has not repudiated its decision to place him on the List and remains free to return him to the List for the same reasons and using the same procedures he alleges were unlawful.
Status: Ongoing
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Florida
Nov 2023
National Security
+2 Issues
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues
The University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine filed a lawsuit on November 16, 2023, challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. This order threatens the students’ constitutionally-protected right to free speech and association in violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU and its partners are seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the Chancellor and the University of Florida from deactivating the UF SJP.
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2022
National Security
+2 Issues
FBI v. Fazaga
In a case scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 8, 2021, three Muslim Americans are challenging the FBI’s secret spying on them and their communities based on their religion, in violation of the Constitution and federal law. In what will likely be a landmark case, the plaintiffs — Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik, and Yasser Abdelrahim — insist that the FBI cannot escape accountability for violating their religious freedom by invoking “state secrets.” The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, the ACLU of Southern California, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Council for American Islamic Relations, and the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jul 2021
National Security
Immigrants' Rights
Sierra Club v. Trump — Challenge to Trump’s National Emergency Declaration to Construct a Border Wall
In February 2019, the ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s emergency powers declaration to secure funds to build a wall along the southern border. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition. The lawsuit argues that the president is usurping Congress’s appropriations power and threatening the clearly defined separation of powers inscribed in the Constitution. On January 20, 2021, President Biden halted further border wall construction. Litigation in this and subsequent related challenges has been paused or deadlines extended while the ACLU’s clients and the Biden administration determine next steps.
Indiana
Oct 2016
National Security
Immigrants' Rights
Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. v. Mike Pence, et al
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana, on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, filed suit against Governor Mike Pence and the secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to stop attempts to suspend resettlement of Syrian refugees, claiming the governor’s actions violate the United States Constitution and federal law.
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148 National Security Cases
Court Case
Aug 2020
National Security
Immigrants' Rights
Hassoun v. Searls — Challenge to Unlawful Indefinite Detention
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Court Case
Aug 2020
National Security
Immigrants' Rights
Hassoun v. Searls — Challenge to Unlawful Indefinite Detention
Court Case
Jul 2019
National Security
Immigrants' Rights
Amadei v. McAleenan
The American Civil Liberties Union and Covington & Burling LLP filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of nine passengers on a domestic Delta Air Lines flight who were subjected to suspicionless detention and identification checks. The case was settled in July 2019, with the government agreeing to measures that would prevent such unlawful detention and identification checks from happening again.
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Court Case
Jul 2019
National Security
Immigrants' Rights
Amadei v. McAleenan
The American Civil Liberties Union and Covington & Burling LLP filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of nine passengers on a domestic Delta Air Lines flight who were subjected to suspicionless detention and identification checks. The case was settled in July 2019, with the government agreeing to measures that would prevent such unlawful detention and identification checks from happening again.
Court Case
Apr 2019
National Security
ACLU v. DOJ - FOIA Case for Records Relating to Targeted Killing Law, Policy, and Casualties
In March 2015, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding information about the government’s targeted-killing program, including the Obama administration’s Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG) under which the program operates. In a crucial victory, the government released a redacted version of the PPG and four other documents. Many other documents were kept secret, however, and the ACLU continues to seek additional records through additional FOIA requests and litigation concerning the specific legal standards the government invokes when using lethal force abroad, and how they apply in practice.
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Court Case
Apr 2019
National Security
ACLU v. DOJ - FOIA Case for Records Relating to Targeted Killing Law, Policy, and Casualties
In March 2015, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding information about the government’s targeted-killing program, including the Obama administration’s Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG) under which the program operates. In a crucial victory, the government released a redacted version of the PPG and four other documents. Many other documents were kept secret, however, and the ACLU continues to seek additional records through additional FOIA requests and litigation concerning the specific legal standards the government invokes when using lethal force abroad, and how they apply in practice.
Court Case
Apr 2019
National Security
Zainab M.
Zainab M. is an author, journalist, and CEO. For years, she endured intrusive searches, detention, and questioning every time she traveled by air or reentered the United States from abroad. The government’s harassment and abuse of Zainab suggest that she has been targeted for additional scrutiny because of her religion or her work as a writer.
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Court Case
Apr 2019
National Security
Zainab M.
Zainab M. is an author, journalist, and CEO. For years, she endured intrusive searches, detention, and questioning every time she traveled by air or reentered the United States from abroad. The government’s harassment and abuse of Zainab suggest that she has been targeted for additional scrutiny because of her religion or her work as a writer.
Court Case
Dec 2018
National Security
Privacy & Technology
Executive Order 12,333 – FOIA Lawsuit
The ACLU and the Media Freedom Information Access ("MFIA") Clinic at Yale Law School have filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding that the government release information about its use of Executive Order 12,333 to conduct surveillance of Americans' international communications.
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Court Case
Dec 2018
National Security
Privacy & Technology
Executive Order 12,333 – FOIA Lawsuit
The ACLU and the Media Freedom Information Access ("MFIA") Clinic at Yale Law School have filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding that the government release information about its use of Executive Order 12,333 to conduct surveillance of Americans' international communications.