As the Occupy Wall Street movement spreads, the New York Civil Liberties Union is working in towns and cities throughout New York State to protect the right to protest. “The right to peaceful protest is a core constitutional principle,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “As the demonstrations spread across the state, the NYCLU is standing alongside the protestors to defend their right to speak their minds.”

A New York Supreme Court judge has cleared the way for civil rights organizations representing 15 voters from across New York State to join the Attorney General in defending New York’s law ending “prison-based gerrymandering,” a practice that had distorted representation across New York State.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that all new insurance plans under the health reform law provide women contraception without co-pays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket expenses. The new measure will ensure that millions of women in New York State and nationwide have greater access to a broad range contraception and preventative health services. A panel of experts at the Institute of Medicine had recommended the policy.

On July 11, 2011, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) issued an informational letter to social service and adoption agencies clarifying that discrimination based on sexual orientation is strictly prohibited in the adoption application process and that a prospective parent’s sexual orientation is never a legitimate basis for denying an application to adopt.

The New York Civil Liberties Union today released a “Know Your Rights” guide that answers frequently asked questions concerning the Marriage Equality Act – the new law granting lesbian and gay couples the freedom to marry in New York State.

The New York Civil Liberties Union and American Civil Liberties Union tonight applauded the State Senate for passing historic legislation to give lesbian and gay couples the freedom to marry in New York State.

The New York Civil Liberties Union today applauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo for suspending the federal Secure Communities (S-Comm) deportation program in New York State that tears apart families, threatens civil rights and weakens public safety.

Marriage Equality New York has honored the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union for bringing a legal challenge against the federal Defense of Marriage Act – a federal statute that defines marriage for all federal purposes as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.

The New York Civil Liberties Union today joined other top civil rights organizations to file a motion in New York Supreme Court asking to intervene to help defend New York’s new law allocating people in prison to their home communities for redistricting and reapportionment.

The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education have issued guidance to all the nation’s school districts clarifying that schools must not inquire about a child’s immigration status at enrollment. The guidance follows a New York Civil Liberties Union analysis last year that found that at least 20 percent of public school districts across New York State were unlawfully barring or discouraging the enrollment of immigrant students. Civil rights group across the nation conducted similar advocacy on this issue.