American Civil Liberties Union of Washington

Support Civil Liberties in the 2016 State Legislature

Replacing the death penalty . . . ending debtors’ prisons . . . holding police accountable . . . strengthening voting rights . . . preserving anti-discrimination regulations that protect transgender people. The ACLU-WA is working to extend and defend civil liberties in this year’s legislative session in Olympia. Read More »

Lawsuit Challenges Modern-Day Debtors’ Prison

Oct 6, 2015

An ACLU-WA lawsuit says Benton County is violating the Constitution by jailing, threatening to jail, or forcing manual labor on people who are too poor to pay court-imposed debts. Read More »

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Criminal Justice

Latino Voters Make History in Yakima

Oct 29, 2015

An historic advance for Latino voters in Yakima has taken place in the wake of an ACLU-WA legal victory Read More »

ACLU Sues Psychologists Who Designed and Ran CIA Torture Program

The ACLU is representing three men who were tortured by the CIA and who are now suing the architects of the agency’s torture program. Read More »

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Court Orders State to Stop Violating Rights of People with Mental Illness in Jail

Apr 3, 2015

A federal judge has rebuked the State of Washington and ordered it to provide competency services speedily to people with mental illness in jails. The ruling came in a suit on behalf of incarcerated pre-trial detainees who have sat for weeks and months awaiting court-ordered services. Read More »

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Woman Sues Public Hospital District to Ensure Access to Abortion

Feb 19, 2015

The ACLU of Washington has filed a lawsuit seeking to have Skagit Regional Health comply with Washington’s Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA). The suit is part of a new statewide effort by the ACLU to ensure that all public hospitals are complying with the RPA. Read More »

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Demand better bodycam rules!

Currently proposed body camera rules do not go far enough to protect privacy and ensure police accountability. Tell Olympia: We need regulations that work. Take Action »