Press Releases

Attorney General Agrees with ACLU of Virginia – Jailing Individuals under ICE Detainer Requests without Probable Cause Violates the Constitution

Attorney General Mark Herring issued an opinion today concluding that Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests seek voluntary action by sheriffs, corrections staff, and jail authorities, and, as such, cannot be used to deny someone their liberty.

ACLU of Virginia Urges Governor to Help Man with Autism Escape Improper Treatment in Prison, Jail

Today, the ACLU of Virginia sent a letter to Governor Terry McAuliffe asking him to review the case of Reginald "Neli" Latson, a young man with intellectual and developmental disabilities who has been held in solitary confinement in a state correctional facility for almost a year.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU Files Federal Discrimination Complaint against Local Va. School Board for Bathroom Policy

The American Civil Liberties Union filed an administrative complaint with the Department of Justice and Department of Education against Gloucester County Public Schools for adopting a bathroom policy that segregates transgender students from using the same restrooms and locker rooms as their peers.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights

ACLU of Virginia Applauds Governor McAuliffe’s Announcement on Restoration of Rights

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia today praised the McAuliffe administration’s commitment to restoring the rights of all disenfranchised Virginians and the establishment of a much easier application process for individuals convicted of more serious felonies.

Appeals Court Rejects Pittsylvania County Appeal in Government Prayer Case

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today unanimously dismissed Pittsylvania County’s appeal from a lower court order prohibiting the Board of Supervisors from opening its meetings with Christian prayers offered by Board members.
Issue Areas: First Amendment Rights

ACLU of Virginia Denounces Gloucester School Board Vote for Discriminatory Policy

Tonight, the Gloucester School Board voted to accept a policy that will discriminate against transgender students by requiring them either to use bathroom and locker room facilities that are inconsistent with their gender identity or use “an alternative private facility.”
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights

ACLU Urges Gloucester School Board to Reject Harmful, Discriminatory Bathroom Policy

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Virginia sent a letter yesterday to the Gloucester County School Board urging it to reject a proposed policy that would limit school restrooms and locker rooms to “the corresponding biological genders”
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights

ACLU of Virginia Applauds Virginia Board of Health’s Decision to Place Medicine over Politics

Today science and medicine prevailed over politics when the Virginia Board of Health voted to approve a Notice of Intent for Regulatory Action (NOIRA) to amend rules for women’s health care centers in Virginia that provide five or more abortions per month.
Issue Areas: Reproductive Rights

ACLU of Virginia Urges Crime Commission to Stop the Criminalization of Teenage Sexting

A letter from ACLU of Virginia to members of the Virginia State Crime Commission recommends against any legislation to criminalize teenage sexting, saying it would raise serious constitutional concerns and also result in feeding many more Virginia teens into the school-to-prison pipeline