"Although we’re relieved that our client is finally free, he should never have been illegally imprisoned in the first place,” said Sophia Gregg, Immigrants’ Rights Attorney for the ACLU of Virginia.

“Virginia governors have historically restored Virginians’ voting rights – not removed them," said ACLU-VA Executive Director Mary Bauer. “No administration should get to pick and choose who gets to vote, and that includes this one." 

The Supreme Court of Virginia affirmed the VADOC's interpretation of budget language that restricted eligibility for expanded earned sentence credits. Our cases on inchoate offenses remain pending.

Today the ACLU of Virginia filed two new cases challenging the Virginia Department of Corrections’ (VADOC) refusal to award expanded sentence credits to people with certain convictions, unlawfully extending their incarceration. 

The Virginia Department of Elections released its Annual List Maintenance Report last week detailing the cancellation of the voting rights of 17,368 Virginians convicted of a new felony after their voting rights had been restored.

"Neither the public, the media, nor even elected officials really know what goes on behind prison walls. That’s why lawmakers’ first step towards creating meaningful oversight of VADOC is so significant," said ACLU of Virginia Policy and Advocacy Strategist Shawn Weneta.

In response to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ opinion on the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) model policies for the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students, ACLU of Virginia Legal Director Eden Heilman issued the following statement: 

Spotsylvania County School Board became the first school board in the Commonwealth to enact the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)’s 2023 model policies for the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students.

Today the ACLU of Virginia, Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition, and the National Immigration Project sued ICE on behalf of three men whom ICE is still detaining months after they won their immigration cases.