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 and The Legal Aid Society sued Governor Cuomo and the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to challenge the unconstitutional automatic jailing of people held in New York City jails while waiting for a hearing for
The New York Civil Liberties Union, Rutgers Law School Constitutional Rights Clinic, and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York filed a lawsuit to end New York’s policies of banning internet and social media access for people required to register as sex offenders who are released on parole or supe
The New York Civil Liberties Union and Equal Justice Under Law filed a federal class action lawsuit against Attorney General William Barr and other federal officials to halt unconstitutional practices at bond hearings in the Buffalo and Batavia immigration courts.
The New York Civil Liberties Union and Bronx Defenders filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the New York City ICE field office to challenge their practice of jailing virtually all the thousands of people they have arrested over the last three years.
The New York Civil Liberties Union challenged the Department of Homeland Security’s retaliatory decision to suspend enrollment and re-enrollment to the Global Entry program, affecting hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who will be shut out of the program.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and the law firm of BakerHostetler filed suit against Steuben County, the Steuben County Sheriff, and several officials and employees at the Steuben County Jail on behalf of a transgender woman whom jail off