News Releases

Ruling Hands Trump Administration Another Defeat on Immigration

Washington has joined the 3DaysCount initiative that highlights the harmful consequences that result when people who can’t afford to pay bail are forced to await their trial behind bars, and develops commonsense solutions.

The killing of Charleena Lyles raises many disturbing questions and is a critical moment for Seattle's police accountability system

The ACLU of Washington today filed a lawsuit against the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on behalf of students with special education needs who have been wrongfully disciplined for behavior related to the disabilities. The suit asks that OSPI, which is the primary public agency responsible for overseeing K-12 public education in Washington, ensure that they remain in school instead of being pushed out.

The ACLU-WA is concerned about the lack of protections for privacy, as well as lack of transparency, in Seattle City Light’s new smart meters project that collects data about electricity usage

An ACLU-WA brief backs the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project’s lawsuit challenging a Dept. of Justice effort to prevent NWIRP attorneys from providing legal aid to people in immigration court.  

Students, Not Suspects Highlights How School Policing Funnels Youth into School-to-Prison Pipeline

The ACLU of Washington today joined ACLU affiliates in Montana and North Dakota in filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit today demanding government documents about the on-the-ground implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans. The lawsuit is seeking records from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s regional office. In particular, the lawsuit seeks records related to CBP’s implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans at SeaTac airport. Today’s action is part of a total of 13 FOIA lawsuits filed by ACLU affiliates across the country.

The ACLU-WA has filed a petition asking the Washington Supreme Court to direct the Grant County District Court to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that requires them to determine a person’s ability to pay court system debts known as Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) before imposing these debts. When courts impose LFOs on people who cannot afford to pay them, individuals remain trapped in debt, stuck in poverty, and tied to the criminal justice system. Although the suit focuses on Grant County, similar practices exist in many courts around the state.

The ACLU of Washington has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Office of Public Defense (OPD)— the state agency responsible for public defense in Washington— for failing to enforce minimum standards of public defense in Grays Harbor County.