News Releases

The ACLU of Washington today joined ACLU affiliates in Montana and North Dakota in filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit today demanding government documents about the on-the-ground implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans. The lawsuit is seeking records from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s regional office. In particular, the lawsuit seeks records related to CBP’s implementation of President Trump’s Muslim bans at SeaTac airport. Today’s action is part of a total of 13 FOIA lawsuits filed by ACLU affiliates across the country.

The ACLU-WA has filed a petition asking the Washington Supreme Court to direct the Grant County District Court to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that requires them to determine a person’s ability to pay court system debts known as Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) before imposing these debts. When courts impose LFOs on people who cannot afford to pay them, individuals remain trapped in debt, stuck in poverty, and tied to the criminal justice system. Although the suit focuses on Grant County, similar practices exist in many courts around the state.

The ACLU of Washington has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Office of Public Defense (OPD)— the state agency responsible for public defense in Washington— for failing to enforce minimum standards of public defense in Grays Harbor County.

The State of Washington has paid over $12 million dollars in fines for failing to comply with a federal court’s order regarding timely provision of mental health services to those waiting for jail and for such services. The State of WA fined $12 million failing to comply with a federal court’s order regarding timely provision of mental health services to those waiting for jail.

Five individuals and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have joined the ACLU of Washington suit challenging the Executive Order on Immigration. The ACLU says that the revised Order signed by Donald Trump on March 6, 2017 is still an unconstitutional ban on Muslims.

A 16 year-old boy who was repeatedly put into solitary confinement, subjected to filthy conditions, and denied adequate food while in the Grays Harbor County Juvenile Detention Facility is suing Grays Harbor County for violating his constitutional rights.   

The Whatcom County prosecutor on Monday withdrew a search warrant obtained by the Whatcom County Sheriff Department that would have allowed a search of a Facebook account associated with a local group protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

The ACLU today filed a motion to quash a warrant issued to police to search a Facebook community page for a broad range of information about a Bellingham, Washington, group engaged in protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline and advocating for environmental justice.

Taxpayers spent $1,316,203,624 on DWLS III enforcement between 1994 and 2015