Press Releases

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ACLU-OR files amicus brief in support of Public Defenders of Marion County

The ACLU of Oregon (ACLU-OR) joined National ACLU, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Lewis & Clark Law School Criminal Justice Reform Clinic in filing an amicus brief urging the Oregon Supreme Court to allow overloaded public defenders to withdraw from cases when overloaded.

ACLU Applauds Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Marijuana Pardons, Calls on Other Governors to Follow 

ACLU Applauds Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Marijuana Pardons, Calls on Other Governors to Follow 

Street Roots, ACLU of Oregon call for postponement of mass encampment vote

On behalf of Street Roots, the ACLU of Oregon today sent the City of Portland a notice of potential legal action in regards to the proposal of Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Dan Ryan to displace people who live on the streets and forcibly relocate them to mass camps.

Yamhill County judge rules that school district restrictions on displays violate the Oregon Constitution

The ACLU of Oregon's statement in response to the Yamhill County Circuit Court’s ruling in Shotts v. Newberg School District that the school district’s policy imposing content-based restrictions on displays violates Article I, section 8 of the Oregon Constitution.

​​​​​​​VICTORY! Oregon Supreme Court rules private entities operating in jails are subject to the state public accommodations laws that prohibit discrimination

In a huge win for disability rights in Oregon jails, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled last Friday that private entities, such as Corizon Health, are subject to state public accommodations laws which prohibit discrimination based on a number of protected class statuses.
Issue Areas: Prisoners' Rights
Court Cases: Abraham v. Corizon

VICTORY! City of Bend Dismisses Lawsuit Against Central Oregon Peacekeepers, Agrees to Pay Fees

The City of Bend has agreed to pay the Peacekeepers' and Satcher's attorney fees and costs. If the court accepts the motion, it would bring an end to the City’s attempt to recover some $3,600 from Satcher for the purported cost of fulfilling his public records request on behalf of the Peacekeepers. 
Issue Areas: Racial Justice, Free Speech

Statement in Response to Audit on Portland Police Bureau Intelligence-Gathering and Surveillance

As the City’s audit recognizes, law enforcement generally, and Portland Police Bureau (PPB) in particular, has a long and troubled history of collecting intelligence information on individuals and groups engaged in lawful First Amendment activity.

Legislature’s passage of SB 1510, the Transforming Justice Omnibus Bill, to address the disproportionate impacts of systemic racism on BIPOC communities

By passing SB 1510, legislators advanced Oregon’s commitment to equity and racial justice through an array of strategies that were developed by communities and coalitions that came together through the Governor’s Racial Justice Council.