Press Releases
about Smart Justice
May 23, 2024
ACLU Responds to Reintroduction of George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Calls on Congress to Address Police Brutality
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This Saturday marks the tragic 4-year anniversary of the murder of Georg...
May 16, 2024
ACLU Applauds President Biden’s Announcement to Reclassify Marijuana, Calls for More Reform
WASHINGTON – President Biden announced today that he plans to reschedule marijuana into a category of controlled substances that have a currently accepted medical use and only a ...
Apr 24, 2024
ACLU Responds to President Biden’s Clemency Announcement
WASHINGTON — President Biden today announced that his administration will pardon 11 people and commute the sentences of five people who received unjustly long sentences during th...
Issue Areas:
Smart Justice
Mar 21, 2024
ACLU Statement On FY24 Appropriations Bill Funding Immigrant Detention, Anti-Immigrant Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The second package of final Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills in the U.S. House of Representatives fails to rein in wasteful and harmful spending by Immigr...
Issue Areas:
Smart Justice
Immigrants' Rights
Mar 05, 2024
Advocates Seek Public Records from DOJ on Implementation of Directives Changing Mandatory Minimum Charging and Sentencing Policies
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Federal Public & Community Defenders submitted a Freedom of Inf...
Issue Areas:
Criminal Law Reform
Smart Justice
Jan 18, 2024
Civil and Immigrants’ Rights Organizations Urge Federal Clemency for Military Veterans Vulnerable to Deportation
WASHINGTON — Organizations representing noncitizen military veterans whose federal criminal convictions make them vulnerable to deportation are urging President Biden to use his ...
Issue Areas:
Immigrants' Rights
Smart Justice
About the ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union has media staff available to handle inquiries from journalists on national issues affecting civil liberties, including questions on legislative matters that touch on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms and inquiries related to ACLU lawsuits.
To schedule an interview with an ACLU expert, email media@aclu.org.
Contact an ACLU Affiliate
The ACLU has 54 local offices across the U.S. working with attorneys and activists in their communities to shape better policies and spread awareness about their states' priority civil rights issues.
Local inquiries should be directed to the appropriate ACLU state affiliate.
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PennsylvaniaJul 2024
Smart Justice
Criminal Law Reform
Horton v. Rangos (Amicus Brief)Horton v. Rangos (Amicus Brief)
This case challenges the government’s authority to incarcerate individuals accused of probation violations for months or years without meaningfully assessing their risk to the community. -
TexasJun 2024
Smart Justice
+3 Issues
Gonzalez v. Ramirez et al.Gonzalez v. Ramirez et al.
Although Texas law clearly prohibits prosecuting people for terminating their pregnancies, Starr County officials indicted, arrested, and jailed Lizelle Gonzalez for having an abortion. The ACLU’s Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative and Criminal Law Reform Project, alongside the ACLU of Texas and south Texas firm Garza Martinez, are representing Ms. Gonzalez in a lawsuit against Starr County and local officials based on violations of Ms. Gonzalez’s constitutional rights. -
News & CommentaryMar 2024
Smart Justice
Criminal Law Reform
President Biden's Order to Ban Private Prisons Faces a Persistent Internal Challenge: The U.S. Marshals ServicePresident Biden's Order to Ban Private Prisons Faces a Persistent Internal Challenge: The U.S. Marshals Service
Three years after President Biden ordered federal agencies to end prison profiteering, the Marshals Service continues to sidestep the ban. -
News & CommentaryJan 2024
Smart Justice
Jury JusticeJury Justice
A class-action lawsuit challenges the permanent exclusion of people with felony convictions from serving on juries.