The New York Civil Liberties Union works in the courts as a public-interest law firm, bringing constitutional test cases in state and federal court. The NYCLU's legal program balances enforcement litigation, or cases that enforce previously established standards, and cutting-edge test case litigation, or cases that seek to set new standards. While litigation alone does not represent a complete strategy to preserve and enhance civil liberties, the lawsuits pursued by the NYCLU are important because of the particular wrongs they right, the individuals and groups they protect, and the constitutional doctrines they establish. Our litigation complements our proactive program of public education and advocacy.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, with pro bono counsel from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, filed a lawsuit against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (“DOCCS”) for unlawfully denying the NYCLU’s requests for records r
The New York Civil Liberties Union submitted an amicus brief in support of students, parents, teachers, and organizations who allege that the structure of New York City’s school system constitutes racial discrimination under the Education Article of the New York Constitution, and the New York Equ
The New York Civil Liberties Union and the law firms, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and Felicello Law P.C., sued New York State in Albany County for failing to meet its public defense obligations under the historic settlement reached in the Hurrell-Harring v. New York lawsuit.
The New York Civil Liberties Union and the law firm Clarick Gueron Reisbaum (CGR) filed a class-action lawsuit in Manhattan challenging the permanent exclusion of people with felony convictions from serving on juries.
The New York Civil Liberties Union moved to file an amicus brief in support of respondents challenging a lawsuit to halt the demolition of a crumbling portion of the I-81 viaduct in Syracuse, New York. Submitted in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Onondaga County, in the case Renew 81 For
The NYCLU submitted an amicus brief arguing that a lower constitutional standard for police stops of bicycles will permit the police to disproportionately criminalize New Yorkers of color yet again and dissuade these communities from reaping the environmental and health benefits of cycling.