Home : Rights of the Poor

Affluent Beach City Sued for Treating Disabled Homeless People as Criminals (12/23/2008)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The ACLU of Southern California and the law firm of Irell & Manella LLP along with Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law, have jointly sued Laguna Beach over the affluent beach city's unconstitutional and inhumane policy of harassing, intimidating, citing and arresting disabled homeless people. The lawsuit – on behalf of certain homeless residents – was filed today in federal district court in Orange County.

ACLU of Oregon and its Southern Oregon Chapter Ask Ashland to Amend Harsh Laws Targeting People Who Are Homeless (10/13/2008)
The Southern Oregon Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon calls upon the City of Ashland to amend its "Prohibited Camping" ordinance from one that punishes poverty and homelessness into one that prods the city to provide housing for the homeless.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Orlando Homeless Feeding Ban (09/26/2008)
ORLANDO, Fla. – The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida won an overwhelming victory today in First Vagabonds Church of God vs. City of Orlando, the highly publicized "homeless feeding" case in Orlando. The 14-page opinion issued by Federal Judge Gregory A. Presnell hinged on the plaintiffs' right to Free Exercise of Religion and Freedom of Speech.

ACLU Of Louisiana Opposes Rep. Labruzzo (09/24/2008)
NEW ORLEANS - The ACLU of Louisiana condemns State Rep. John LaBruzzo for suggesting that poor people, or those who use government services, should be sterilized to save taxpayer expense.

State To Provide Homeless Children With Equal Access To Public Education (08/12/2008)
HONOLULU – U.S. District Court Chief Judge Helen Gillmor today approved a settlement agreement in a case brought by a statewide class of homeless children and their parents against the Hawaii Department of Education ("DOE") and Board of Education ("Board"). The settlement requires the State to provide homeless children with equal access to public education and remove barriers to their educational success.

Homeless Children Denied Equal Access to Education (10/02/2007)
HONOLULU - Calling the State of Hawaii's treatment of homeless children a travesty, civil rights groups and attorneys filed a class action lawsuit today challenging the State's failure to provide homeless children with equal access to public education. The lawsuit - which names three homeless parents and their children - charges State officials with ignoring their legal obligations to provide homeless children with equal access to a free and appropriate public education in violation of the McKinney-Vento Act. The lawsuit also charges State officials with violating constitutional requirements to provide equal access to public education without regard to the status of homelessness.

ACLU of Southern California Challenges Developer Trying to Evade City Rules (06/06/2007)
LOS ANGELES — With L. A. in a housing crisis, a downtown developer sued the city in February to evade its affordable-housing rules. Today groups filed papers in L.A. Superior Court to prevent G.H. Palmer Associates from shutting downtown’s doors to low- and middle-income Angelenos.

Judge Authorizes ACLU of Michigan Public Defense Lawsuit against State of Michigan (05/16/2007)
LANSING, MI - An Ingham County Circuit Court Judge ruled today that a lawsuit charging that State of Michigan failed to fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide appropriate defense services for those who cannot afford private counsel will proceed.

ACLU of Southern California and Public Counsel Settle Lawsuit Over Dumping of Woman on Skid Row (05/15/2007)
LOS ANGELES - Lawyers from the ACLU of Southern California and Public Counsel joined L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to announce a settlement in our lawsuit on behalf of a 64-year-old woman found wandering on Skid Row. Delgadillo also announced a settlement of the criminal charges the city filed against Kaiser Permanente, the hospital chain accused of dumping her there. The joint settlements provide new policies that will end alleged patient dumping by Kaiser and establish new model practices for other hospitals to follow.

Virginia Senate Upholds Governor Kaine's Veto of Bills That Would Have Eliminated the "Triggerman" Rule (04/04/2007)
RICHMOND, VA - The Virginia Senate today upheld Governor Tim Kaine's veto of two bills that could have dramatically increased the number of executions in Virginia by allowing capital charges to be brought against accomplices and others only indirectly involved in first degree murders.

Landmark Lawsuit Seeks Repairs to Michigan Justice System (02/22/2007)
LANSING, MI - The Michigan Coalition for Justice filed a landmark lawsuit today against the state of Michigan and Governor Jennifer Granholm for failing to fulfill their constitutional obligation to provide adequate defense services to those who cannot afford private counsel. The coalition charges that Michigan has long abdicated its duty to ensure that poor people accused of crimes receive timely, qualified and appropriately resourced lawyers for their defense.