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 filed a lawsuit against Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, Chief of Department Terence Monahan, the City of New York, and several individual police officers for their roles in the indiscriminate brutalizing of peaceful
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department to force the disclosure of information about the NYPD’s presence in schools and the impact of school policing on students through the use of metal detectors.
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy to force vulnerable asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico awaiting hearings on their asylum claims, the “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP).
The New York Civil Liberties Union in partnership with Shearman & Sterling LLP filed a motion to intervene in the Buffalo police and firefighter union’s lawsuit against the city challenging the city’s commitment to releasing complaints made to the Buffalo Police Department’s Internal Affairs
The New York Civil Liberties Union joined as amicus a case filed by a collection of police and fire unions against the city to block the release of CCRB disciplinary records to the public.
The NYCLU filed an amicus brief in Maisto, et al. v. State of New York in support of the plaintiffs --- families with children in eight different small city school districts across New York.