Press Releases

Virginia Department of Education ignores public opposition and greenlights anti-LGBTQ student policies

Today the Youngkin administration's Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) announced its decision to replace existing policies regarding the treatment of transgender students in Virginia public schools with new policies that will harm and endanger trans youth.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ+ Rights

Supreme Court of Virginia finds VADOC unlawfully keeping Steven Prease in prison

Today the Supreme Court of Virginia issued a ruling in Prease v. Clarke, finding that the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) unlawfully extended Mr. Prease’s incarceration by withholding earned sentence credits that he earned while in prison.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Lawsuit alleges Virginia’s Constitution’s felony disenfranchisement provision violates Reconstruction-era federal law

Protect Democracy, ACLU of Virginia, and WilmerHale filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in federal court challenging the Virginia Constitution’s felony disenfranchisement. The case claims that Virginia is in violation of the 150-year-old federal law that established the terms of Virginia’s readmission
Court Cases: King v. Youngkin

Spotsylvania School Board misinterprets Virginia code to justify banning books

Spotsylvania County School Board voted 4-3 this week to enact a policy empowering members and the superintendent to ban books they deem “sexually explicit.”

Hundreds of Virginians held in prolonged solitary confinement join ACLU of Virginia class action lawsuit

A federal judge allowed hundreds of Virginians in prolonged solitary confinement to join our lawsuit against the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

ACLU-VA submits letter urging Gov. Youngkin to amend solitary legislation

On March 7, 2023, the ACLU of Virginia submitted a letter on behalf of fifteen additional organizations to Governor Youngkin urging him not to sign legislation on solitary confinement currently on his desk.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform

Mass surveillance technologies make all Virginians less free

Mass surveillance technologies make all Virginians less free. The ones HB 1437 and SB 1165 seek to implement would allow law enforcement to use ‘automatic license plate readers’ to collect data on every car that drives by.
Issue Areas: First Amendment Rights

After School Satan Club holds first meeting at Chesapeake Public School

In a victory for free speech and religious liberty, the After School Satan Club (ASSC) held its first meeting tonight at B.M. Williams Primary School, despite efforts by some to shut down the club and prevent it from gaining equal access to school facilities.
Issue Areas: First Amendment Rights

Lawmakers fail to advance bipartisan Second Look bill

ACLU-VA's statement on House committee killing a bipartisan criminal legal reform bill that would establish a means for incarcerated people who have already served at least 15 years of their sentence to petition their sentencing judge for a Second Look at their sentence.
Issue Areas: Criminal Legal Reform