The governor amended a controversial bill that would lift the ban on the use of facial recognition technology without a warrant by local law enforcement agencies. The governor’s amendments did nothing to address the many concerns voiced by a broad range of advocates.

Gov. Youngkin signed into law Senate Bill 656 (SB 656), which would give parents the authority to prevent their children from learning material deemed “sexually explicit content.” While the bill is lauded by some as parental choice, its true intent and impact is classroom censorship.

In principle, we oppose any use of facial recognition software by law enforcement. When used by police in criminal investigations, facial recognition technology can, and has, led to wrongful arrests and civil rights violations.

The ACLU of Virginia announced today that a settlement agreement was reached in Burke v. Clarke, a federal lawsuit on behalf of Randy Burke, a practicing Rastafarian who was put in solitary confinement for over five years for refusing to cut his hair.

The ACLU of Virginia has significant concerns that the fencing erected around the Lee Monument grounds is unnecessarily infringing on the public’s First Amendment rights while these legal battles play out in the courtroom.

The court dismissed the lawsuit to hold police accountable for violating protesters' rights, denying the protesters a trial on this matter.