Press Releases
about Smart Justice
Dec 22, 2023
ACLU Applauds President Biden’s Clemency Announcement
Announcement Will Reunite 11 Families in a Small Step Toward Justice
Issue Areas:
Smart Justice
Jun 08, 2023
Justice and Faith Organizations Call on President Biden to Grant Clemency for Federal Crack Cocaine Convictions
Thirteen organizations — including the ACLU, NAACP LDF, Leadership Conference and Tzedek Association — are asking the president to repair the harms wrought by the decades-old crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity.
Issue Areas:
Smart Justice
Apr 11, 2023
ACLU Report Finds Significant Strides in Clemency Trends in 2022
NEW YORK — According to a nationwide report released by the American Civil Liberties Union’s Redemption Campaign, the United States saw significant strides in the use of clemen...
Issue Areas:
Smart Justice
Dec 16, 2022
ACLU Applauds Merrick Garland for Directive to End Crack and Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is instructing Department of Justice prosecutors to charge crack offenses as powder cocaine offenses, and to seek sentences for...
Issue Areas:
Smart Justice
Jul 29, 2022
Civil Rights, Racial Justice, and Gun Violence Prevention Orgs Urge Congress to Decouple Police Funding Bills from Assault Weapons Ban and Community Safety Investment Bills
WASHINGTON — As organizations that have spent years fighting for civil rights, racial justice, and the genuine safety that all of our communities deserve, we stand together to op...
Issue Areas:
Criminal Law Reform
Smart Justice
Jul 21, 2022
ACLU Statement on Biden’s “Safer America Plan”
WASHINGTON — Today President Biden announced a plan to fund programs intended to make America “safer.” The president’s plan proposes investments in two competing approaches...
Issue Areas:
Criminal Law Reform
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.