Press Releases

ACLU of Virginia Applauds Ruling Abolishing Life without Parole for Most Juvenile Offenders in Virginia

The ACLU of Virginia welcomed this week’s federal court ruling that Virginia may not sentence juveniles convicted of offenses other than homicide to life without parole, and called on Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring to accept the court’s ruling rather than appeal it.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

DOJ Filing Supports Transgender Student’s Right to Appropriate Restroom Facilities in ACLU Case

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in federal court explaining that transgender students must be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity under Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights

ACLU of Virginia Celebrates Decision to Bring the Freedom to Marry to Every State

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that lesbian and gay couples are entitled to equal marriage rights under the U.S. Constitution. The court’s action means that lesbian and gay couples across America will now enjoy the same freedom to marry that Virginia couples have enjoyed since October 2014.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights

Governor McAuliffe Implements ACLU of Virginia Recommendation to Remove Modern Day Poll Tax

The McAuliffe administration announced the removal of the requirement that individuals with a felony conviction pay their fees, fines, and restitution costs before becoming eligible to have their voting rights restored.

U.S. Supreme Court Decides Federal Drug Prosecutors Had Gone Too Far; ACLU of Virginia Agrees

In a unanimous decision about a case out of Charlottesville,Va, the United States Supreme Court found that the Controlled Substance Act and its Analogue Act require the government to prove that the defendant knew he was distributing a substance that is substantially similar to a regulated substance.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU Sues Va. School Board for Discriminatory Transgender Restroom Policy

he American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Virginia filed a lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board for adopting a discriminatory bathroom policy that segregates transgender students from their peers.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights