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 American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project sued Jefferson County over its discriminatory and life-endangering policy of denying prescribed medication to people with opioid use disorder in the Jefferson County Jail.
The New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Services of NYC sued the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) for discriminating on the basis of gender identity against nonbinary New York residents.
New York Civil Liberties Union, with pro bono counsel from Latham & Watkins LLP, filed a lawsuit against the Syracuse Police Department for unlawfully denying the NYCLU’s requests for the full slate of records related to police misconduct authorized to be disclosed fol
The New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Services of Central New York filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Ms. DeAnna LeTray, a transgender woman and Watertown resident who law enforcement harassed, arrested, and assaulted when responding to a call for assistance.
Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and Brooklyn Defender Services filed an Article 78 petition on behalf of all individuals held in New York City jails.
The New York Civil Liberties Union in partnership with Shearman & Sterling LLP filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the Rochester Police Locust Club seeking an indeterminate delay in the City of Rochester’s production of any police officer disciplinary records.