Press Releases

The American Civil Liberties Union has media staff available to handle inquiries from journalists on issues affecting civil liberties, including questions on legislative matters that touch on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms and inquiries related to ACLU lawsuits. Reporters with questions about ACLU work, please contact media@aclum.org.

Sep 05, 2025

Federal Court Declares Noncitizen’s Detention Under Laken Riley Act Unconstitutional

In what appears to be the first decision to address mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act, a federal judge in Boston ruled today that detaining an individual solely on the basis of his prior arrest violates due process.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Sep 03, 2025

Court Holds that Medical Researchers’ Censorship Suit Can Continue

A federal court denied the government’s motion to dismiss the claims from doctors alleging the federal government censored research that mentioned LGBTQ people
Issue Areas: Free Speech and Expression
Aug 22, 2025

Supreme Court Issues Partial Stay in NIH Research Grants Case 

In a significant setback for public health, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts likely lacked jurisdiction to review the termination of research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) targeting research on disfavored topics...
Issue Areas: Reproductive Freedom
Jul 10, 2025

Federal Court Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Order, Certifies Nationwide Class Protecting All Impacted Babies

Yet another court ruling affirms that the U.S. Constitution gives citizenship equally to all babies born in the United States — regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Jun 27, 2025

Groups File Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Over Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

Immigrants rights’ advocates filed a new nationwide class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Jun 18, 2025

ACLU of Massachusetts comment on Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a challenge brought by three transgender adolescents, their families, and medical provider against a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming hormone therapies for transgender people under 18. 
Issue Areas: LGBTQ Rights
Jun 17, 2025

Transgender US Passport Holders Granted Temporary Relief in Challenge to Trump Gender Marker Policy

This decision acknowledges the immediate and profound negative impact that this passport policy has on the ability of people across the country to travel for work, school, and family.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ Rights
Jun 16, 2025

Federal District Court Strikes Down NIH’s Unlawful Directives That Led to the Elimination of Critical Research

In a major victory for public health, the court ruled that NIH’s actions targeting certain research were unlawful, arbitrary and capricious, and therefore void.
Issue Areas: Racial Justice, LGBTQ Rights
Jun 09, 2025

Legal Organizations Across Ideologies Urge Court to Block President Trump’s Unconstitutional Attacks on Harvard

Legal organizations across the ideological spectrum today urged the District of Massachusetts court to block the Trump administration’s attempted hostile ideological takeover of Harvard University. 
Issue Areas: Free Speech and Expression