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
Nov 2018
National Security
ACLU v. CIA - FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Records Concerning the CIA’s Propaganda Campaign to Confirm Gina Haspel as CIA Director
When President Trump nominated Gina Haspel to be CIA director in March 2018, the CIA began an unprecedented propaganda campaign to promote her confirmation by the Senate. The CIA’s campaign selectively disseminated information perceived as favorable to Haspel while hiding her deep involvement in torture and abuse during the Bush administration. The CIA strategically whitewashed Haspel’s past, including her supervision of a secret prison in Thailand where she oversaw the torture of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.
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Court Case
Nov 2018
National Security
ACLU v. CIA - FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Records Concerning the CIA’s Propaganda Campaign to Confirm Gina Haspel as CIA Director
When President Trump nominated Gina Haspel to be CIA director in March 2018, the CIA began an unprecedented propaganda campaign to promote her confirmation by the Senate. The CIA’s campaign selectively disseminated information perceived as favorable to Haspel while hiding her deep involvement in torture and abuse during the Bush administration. The CIA strategically whitewashed Haspel’s past, including her supervision of a secret prison in Thailand where she oversaw the torture of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.
Court Case
Nov 2018
National Security
Ullah v. CIA – FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Information About Gul Rahman’s Body
In November 2002, the CIA tortured Afghan citizen Gul Rahman to death. The CIA covered up his death for years and continues to hide information about the whereabouts of his body from his grieving family.
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Court Case
Nov 2018
National Security
Ullah v. CIA – FOIA Lawsuit Seeking Information About Gul Rahman’s Body
In November 2002, the CIA tortured Afghan citizen Gul Rahman to death. The CIA covered up his death for years and continues to hide information about the whereabouts of his body from his grieving family.
Court Case
Nov 2018
National Security
Khaled El-Masri v. United States
In a history-making lawsuit, the ACLU challenged the CIA on behalf of Khaled El-Masri, an entirely innocent victim of rendition who was released without ever being charged.
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Court Case
Nov 2018
National Security
Khaled El-Masri v. United States
In a history-making lawsuit, the ACLU challenged the CIA on behalf of Khaled El-Masri, an entirely innocent victim of rendition who was released without ever being charged.
California
Oct 2018
National Security
ACLU V. DOJ – FOIA Lawsuit Seeking the Government’s Policy on Notifying Americans When It Spies on Them
In February 2017, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S. Department of Justice to find out more about the circumstances under which the government thinks it can spy on Americans without telling them. In June 2017, together with the ACLU of Northern California, we filed a lawsuit to enforce the request in the District Court for the Northern District of California.
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California
Oct 2018
National Security
ACLU V. DOJ – FOIA Lawsuit Seeking the Government’s Policy on Notifying Americans When It Spies on Them
In February 2017, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S. Department of Justice to find out more about the circumstances under which the government thinks it can spy on Americans without telling them. In June 2017, together with the ACLU of Northern California, we filed a lawsuit to enforce the request in the District Court for the Northern District of California.
Court Case
Oct 2018
National Security
Doe v. Mattis – Challenge to Detention of American by U.S. Military Abroad
On October 5, 2017, the ACLU Foundation filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of a U.S. citizen unlawfully detained by the U.S. military in Iraq as an “enemy combatant” for allegedly being an ISIS fighter in Syria. He had been detained since approximately September 14 of that year. On October 28, 2018, following a series of losses in court, the Trump administration released him.
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Court Case
Oct 2018
National Security
Doe v. Mattis – Challenge to Detention of American by U.S. Military Abroad
On October 5, 2017, the ACLU Foundation filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of a U.S. citizen unlawfully detained by the U.S. military in Iraq as an “enemy combatant” for allegedly being an ISIS fighter in Syria. He had been detained since approximately September 14 of that year. On October 28, 2018, following a series of losses in court, the Trump administration released him.