New York Civil Liberties Union

08/20/2026

The impact of a person’s incarceration reaches far beyond the confines of their cell. Children lose parents. Families lose a breadwinner and struggle to meet their needs on a reduced income.⁠
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Fortunately, there are bills waiting for Governor Hochul's signature that will do a lot to improve prison conditions by improving the well-being of incarcerated people and their loved ones, helping families reunite successfully and stay together, reining in commissary prices, and facilitating in-person visits. This is a win for all New Yorkers - Governor Hochul must sign these bills into law today.

08/18/2026

NEW: We have reached a settlement in Southey v. City University of New York (CUNY) — our successful litigation challenging the school’s refusal to release records regarding its investment funds, bonds, and private equity holdings, as well as its contracts with companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrup Grumman, to student organizers advocating for Palestinian rights.⁠
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While we’re grateful that the largest, urban public university in the country will finally disclose its investment records, it's outrageous that our client had to file this lawsuit in the first place. CUNY students, faculty, and the entire campus community are entitled to transparency and equal treatment from their administration — no matter their viewpoint or their purpose in seeking those records.

08/18/2026

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have their sensitive genetic material sitting in a rogue, illegal, and unaccountable database that serves as a constant reminder of how little the NYPD cares about our privacy or due process.

This is the NYPD's “Suspect DNA Index" - and it's unlawful. Read more 👇

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have their sensitive genetic material sitting in a rogue, illegal, and unaccountable database that serves as a constant reminder of how little the NYPD cares about our privacy or due process.

08/17/2026

Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) can be mounted on police cars, fixed on poles, or set on the roadside - and they record data on each and every vehicle and passenger, no matter if the driver was doing anything unlawful or not.⁠
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It's incredibly invasive, ripe for misuse, and unregulated. And while Flock is one of the vendors in the spotlight for their ALPRs, they're far from the only one - Motorola, Rekor, Axon, and more also make ALPRs. That's why it's critical that New York State passes legislation that enforces guardrails on ALL automatic license plate readers. Learn more about the dangers of ALPRs and what you can do about them at our link in bio.

08/14/2026

Earlier this year, Nassau County enacted a ban on almost all speech, assembly, and expressive conduct outside nearly 1,000 places of worship — despite the County having seen no violence or crime that could justify such a sweeping restriction on First Amendment-protected activity. ⁠
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One of the plaintiffs in our suit, Nassau County resident and immigrant rights advocate Claudia Borecky, learned that under Nassau's anti-speech buffer zone she could be arrested for handing out copies of a New York Catholic Bishops’ Statement to fellow churchgoers.⁠
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We sued. We filed a preliminary injunction and won, stopping the County from enforcing this anti-speech buffer zone while our case continues. No one should have their voices silenced by these sweeping, unnecessary, and illegal restrictions on speech.

08/11/2026

NEW: In a major win for our campaign against police brutality and overreach, the NY City Council Progressive Caucus has named the CURB Act as one of its legislative priorities.⁠
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The CURB (Communities United to Reject Brutality) Act - also known as Intro. 1176 - will protect New Yorkers’ rights to protest by reining in the NYPD’s most abusive tactics and creating ongoing oversight over the NYPD’s responses to protests going forward.⁠
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But, despite the Progressive Caucus elevating the CURB Act as a legislative priority, several members of the caucus are holding out from signing on as co-sponsors, and Public Safety Chair Oswald Feliz hasn't even scheduled a hearing on the bill. Not to mention, Speaker Menin has been steadfastly opposed to any measures to rein in the NYPD.⁠
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Take action now: nyclu.org/curb-zap

08/11/2026

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal is right: "There is no world where medical records should be handed over to a politicized entity like the Trump Department of Justice."

Here's the backstory: A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to seize the medical records of trans youth who have accessed gender-affirming care in New York City. Again and again, courts have pointed out that the DOJ has no legitimate need for patient identities and records.

Trans young people, like everyone else, deserve the right to keep their most intimate medical records private.

08/11/2026

The overwhelming majority of unhoused New Yorkers don't have internet access.⁠
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Without reliable wifi, people in shelters can't access essential services - like job application platforms, apartment listings, health care, and virtual court hearings. To make matters worse, where wi-fi service does exist, it's often tightly restricted, slow, and unreliable.⁠
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New York lawmakers passed a bill this year to change that - but Governor Hochul still has to sign it.

08/07/2026

Tienes derechos en la escuela, sin importar tu estatus migratorio. Para obtener más información sobre tus derechos como estudiante inmigrante en las escuelas públicas de Nueva York: nyclu.org/rights

08/06/2026

The impact of a person’s incarceration reaches far beyond the confines of their cell. Children lose parents. Families lose a breadwinner and struggle to meet their needs on a reduced income.

There are bills waiting for the Gov's signature that will improve prison conditions - she must sign ASAP.

The number of people impacted by incarceration is larger than most realize. Forty-five percent of the national population has had an immediate family member who was incarcerated. There are over 50,000 incarcerated people in New York State, and their experiences in jail or prison touch the lives of a...