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Domestic Violence Survivor Asks International Tribunal To Hold U.S. Responsible For Human Rights Violations (03/25/2008)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School's Human Rights Clinic filed a merits brief with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) detailing their charges that the U.S. broke international law in violating the human rights of a domestic violence survivor. The brief was filed on behalf of Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed, and whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

ACLU Calls for Greater Congressional Oversight of HUD and its Failure to Meet its Obligations Under VAWA (03/11/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties today called on Congress to examine the failure of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fully implement the requirements of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as it relates to victims of domestic violence. The House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee are slated to begin oversight hearings of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week. The ACLU urges these committees to ask HUD why it leaves battered women and children out in the cold.

Private Housing Company Won’t Evict Domestic Violence Victims After ACLU Lawsuit (02/26/2008)
DETROIT – A groundbreaking settlement agreement finalized today between a domestic violence survivor, a private housing complex and a property management company offers victims of domestic violence, stalking, date rape and sexual assault far reaching protections from eviction and discrimination. This is the first settlement of its kind that applies to private housing.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Holds U.S. Responsible for Protecting Domestic Violence Victims (10/09/2007)
NEW YORK – Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed, and whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, will finally get her day in court. In the first decision of its kind, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ruled on Friday that it will hear her case. The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic represent Lenahan.

Domestic Violence Victim Sues U.S. Government for International Human Rights Violations (03/02/2007)
NEW YORK – Jessica Gonzales, whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed, and whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, spoke publicly today for the first time before an adjudicating body, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic represented Gonzales.

ACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Domestic Abuse Victim Who Was Evicted (02/21/2007)
DETROIT -- The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal sex discrimination lawsuit against a Detroit landlord after the company evicted a domestic violence victim from her home. The management company has refused to revise a policy that evicts all tenants whose “guests” create a disturbance or damage the property, including tenants who are victims of domestic violence.

ACLU Alarmed At Justice Department Move to Collect DNA, Violates Privacy Rights and Causes Further Delays in Overwhelmed System (02/05/2007)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the Justice Department’s move to collect DNA samples of individuals who are arrested or detained by federal authorities - even if they are not convicted, or charged with a crime. That collection was authorized in an amendment authored by Senators Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to the Violence Against Women Act in 2005.

ACLU Fights Eviction of Domestic Abuse Victim in Michigan (01/17/2007)
DETROIT - In a letter sent to an apartment management company today, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan urged a Detroit landlord to revise a policy that evicts all tenants whose "guests" create a disturbance or damage the property, including tenants who are victims of domestic violence.

Department of Correction Retaliates Against Officers, Says ACLU (07/13/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today against the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) on behalf of two female officers who have faced departmental discrimination and retaliation for following procedures and reporting sexual and physical assaults by male officers.

Mother of Slain Children Takes Case to International Tribunal (12/27/2005)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of Jessica Gonzales, the mother of three girls killed by her estranged husband whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. The petition, the first of its kind, asserts that domestic violence victims have the right to be protected by the state from the violent acts of their abusers.

United Nations Body Looks at Housing Conditions for Women in America (10/17/2005)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union is among dozens of groups and individuals providing testimony to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing as part of a three-day consultation on women and housing in North America, which ends today. The ACLU and its clients, who are victims of housing discrimination, have testified on the poor housing conditions faced by victims of domestic violence and immigrant domestic workers in the United States.

ACLU Endorses Federal Hate Crimes Legislation for First Time, Says Conyers Proposal Properly Addresses Free Speech Concerns (05/26/2005)
WASHINGTON - After more than seven years of expressing concerns that federal hate crimes legislation would chill constitutionally protected speech, the American Civil Liberties Union today endorsed a new hate crimes bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).

ACLU Hails Ruling That Fair Housing Act Prohibits Discrimination Against Victims of Domestic Violence (04/18/2005)
BRATTLEBORO, VT -- In an important victory for battered women, the first case ever to hold that the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against domestic violence victims settled this week. The American Civil Liberties Union was co-counsel with Vermont Legal Aid in the domestic violence and housing discrimination case Bouley v. Young-Sabourin.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Hold Police Accountable for Enforcing Restraining Orders (03/21/2005)
WASHINGTON, DC-The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case that will determine whether local governments and police departments can be held accountable for failing to enforce court orders to protect victims from a violent spouse or acquaintance. The case stems from a lawsuit filed by Jessica Gonzales in 2000, which charged that the Castle Rock, Colorado police refused to enforce a restraining order against her estranged husband, who kidnapped and murdered their three young daughters.

NYCLU Criticizes NYPD for Failing to Investigate Officer Wearing Helmet Promoting Violence Against Women (10/01/2004)
NEW YORK--The New York Civil Liberties Union today harshly criticized the New York Police Department for refusing to investigate a police officer who was photographed wearing a motorcycle helmet bearing an apparent endorsement of violence against women.

In First Settlement of its Kind, Michigan Domestic Violence Victims Will No Longer Face Eviction (12/10/2003)
DETROIT - In a precedent-setting settlement of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, the Ypsilanti Housing Commission has agreed to end a policy that led to the eviction of domestic violence victims, the ACLU announced today.

Settlement Reached in Case of Oregon Domestic Abuse Victim Who Faced Eviction; Important Precedent Set for Battered Women Nationwide (11/05/2001)
PORTLAND, OR--In a victory for victims of domestic violence everywhere, a property management company has agreed to end housing discrimination against battered women.