National Security

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U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2023
Outside Federal Bureau of Investigation Headquarters

National Security

FBI v. Fikre

Whether the government can overcome the voluntary cessation exception to mootness by removing an individual from the No Fly List when the government has not repudiated its decision to place him on the List and remains free to return him to the List for the same reasons and using the same procedures he alleges were unlawful.
Fbi V. Fikre. Explore Case.
Florida
Nov 2023
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues

National Security

+2 Ƶ

Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida v. Raymond Rodrigues

The University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine filed a lawsuit on November 16, 2023, challenging the Chancellor of the State University System of Florida’s order to state universities to deactivate the student group. This order threatens the students’ constitutionally-protected right to free speech and association in violation of the First Amendment. The Ƶand its partners are seeking a preliminary injunction that would bar the Chancellor and the University of Florida from deactivating the UF SJP.
Students For Justice In Palestine At The University Of Florida V. Raymond Rodrigues. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2022
FBI v. Fazaga Plaintiffs

National Security

+2 Ƶ

FBI v. Fazaga

In a case scheduled to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 8, 2021, three Muslim Americans are challenging the FBI’s secret spying on them and their communities based on their religion, in violation of the Constitution and federal law. In what will likely be a landmark case, the plaintiffs — Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik, and Yasser Abdelrahim — insist that the FBI cannot escape accountability for violating their religious freedom by invoking “state secrets.” The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, the Ƶof Southern California, the Ƶ, the Council for American Islamic Relations, and the law firm of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai.
Fbi V. Fazaga. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jul 2021
Trump Declaring National Emergency

National Security

Immigrants' Rights

Sierra Club v. Trump — Challenge to Trump’s National Emergency Declaration to Construct a Border Wall

In February 2019, the Ƶfiled a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s emergency powers declaration to secure funds to build a wall along the southern border. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition. The lawsuit argues that the president is usurping Congress’s appropriations power and threatening the clearly defined separation of powers inscribed in the Constitution. On January 20, 2021, President Biden halted further border wall construction. Litigation in this and subsequent related challenges has been paused or deadlines extended while the ACLU’s clients and the Biden administration determine next steps.
Sierra Club V. Trump — Challenge To Trump’s National Emergency Declaration To Construct A Border Wall. Explore Case.
Indiana
Oct 2016
Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. v. Mike Pence, et al

National Security

Immigrants' Rights

Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. v. Mike Pence, et al

The Ƶ and the Ƶof Indiana, on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, filed suit against Governor Mike Pence and the secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to stop attempts to suspend resettlement of Syrian refugees, claiming the governor’s actions violate the United States Constitution and federal law.
Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. V. Mike Pence, Et Al. Explore Case.

All Cases

155 National Security Cases

Ƶv. FBI - FOIA Case for FBI Records Related to Nondisclosure Agreements for Cell Site Simulators
Court Case
Apr 2023

National Security

Privacy & Technology

Ƶv. FBI - FOIA Case for FBI Records Related to Nondisclosure Agreements for Cell Site Simulators

In 2021, the Ƶsubmitted a FOIA request to the FBI to determine whether the FBI has continued to require state and local law enforcement agencies to enter into nondisclosure agreements before purchasing or using cell site simulators. After appealing and suing, the Ƶfinally obtained responsive records confirming that the FBI has continued to impose nondisclosure agreements on law enforcement agencies seeking to use the FBI’s cell site simulators.
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Aclu V. Fbi - Foia Case For Fbi Records Related To Nondisclosure Agreements For Cell Site Simulators. Explore Case.
Court Case
Apr 2023
Ƶv. FBI - FOIA Case for FBI Records Related to Nondisclosure Agreements for Cell Site Simulators

National Security

Privacy & Technology

Ƶv. FBI - FOIA Case for FBI Records Related to Nondisclosure Agreements for Cell Site Simulators

In 2021, the Ƶsubmitted a FOIA request to the FBI to determine whether the FBI has continued to require state and local law enforcement agencies to enter into nondisclosure agreements before purchasing or using cell site simulators. After appealing and suing, the Ƶfinally obtained responsive records confirming that the FBI has continued to impose nondisclosure agreements on law enforcement agencies seeking to use the FBI’s cell site simulators.
Aclu V. Fbi - Foia Case For Fbi Records Related To Nondisclosure Agreements For Cell Site Simulators. Explore Case.
Social media apps on a smart phone.
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2023

National Security

+2 Ƶ

Twitter, Inc., v. Taamneh

The Supreme Court will decide whether a social media or other platform can be liable for “aiding and abetting” a terrorist attack merely because it failed to adequately block content valorizing terrorism, even where the platform has policies barring terrorist content.
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Twitter, Inc., V. Taamneh. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2023
Social media apps on a smart phone.

National Security

+2 Ƶ

Twitter, Inc., v. Taamneh

The Supreme Court will decide whether a social media or other platform can be liable for “aiding and abetting” a terrorist attack merely because it failed to adequately block content valorizing terrorism, even where the platform has policies barring terrorist content.
Twitter, Inc., V. Taamneh. Explore Case.
Upstream surveillance
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2023

National Security

Wikimedia v. NSA - Challenge to Upstream Surveillance

The Ƶis challenging the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass interception and searching of Americans’ international Internet communications. At issue is the NSA’s “Upstream” surveillance, through which the U.S. government systematically monitors private emails, messages, and other data flowing into and out of the country on the Internet’s central arteries. The ACLU’s lawsuit was brought on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation and eight legal, human rights, and media organizations, which together engage in trillions of sensitive communications and have been harmed by Upstream surveillance.
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Wikimedia V. Nsa - Challenge To Upstream Surveillance. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2023
Upstream surveillance

National Security

Wikimedia v. NSA - Challenge to Upstream Surveillance

The Ƶis challenging the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass interception and searching of Americans’ international Internet communications. At issue is the NSA’s “Upstream” surveillance, through which the U.S. government systematically monitors private emails, messages, and other data flowing into and out of the country on the Internet’s central arteries. The ACLU’s lawsuit was brought on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation and eight legal, human rights, and media organizations, which together engage in trillions of sensitive communications and have been harmed by Upstream surveillance.
Wikimedia V. Nsa - Challenge To Upstream Surveillance. Explore Case.
A portrait of Sherry Chen
Court Case
Dec 2022

National Security

Sherry Chen v. United States

In October 2021, the Ƶjoined the legal team representing Sherry Chen, an award-winning Chinese American scientist who was wrongfully investigated, prosecuted, and terminated from her job as a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. The government accused Ms. Chen of unlawfully downloading sensitive government data and falsely portrayed her as a spy for China. On the eve of trial, the Justice Department dropped all charges against her. In 2019, Ms. Chen filed a federal lawsuit against the United States, seeking accountability for the government’s misconduct. In December 2022, Ms. Chen reached a historic settlement of her federal lawsuit and a separate case before the Merit Systems Protection Board, an agency that hears claims from federal employees. The settlement, one of the largest paid to an individual plaintiff in Commerce Department history, includes compensation valued at approximately $1.8 million.
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Sherry Chen V. United States. Explore Case.
Court Case
Dec 2022
A portrait of Sherry Chen

National Security

Sherry Chen v. United States

In October 2021, the Ƶjoined the legal team representing Sherry Chen, an award-winning Chinese American scientist who was wrongfully investigated, prosecuted, and terminated from her job as a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. The government accused Ms. Chen of unlawfully downloading sensitive government data and falsely portrayed her as a spy for China. On the eve of trial, the Justice Department dropped all charges against her. In 2019, Ms. Chen filed a federal lawsuit against the United States, seeking accountability for the government’s misconduct. In December 2022, Ms. Chen reached a historic settlement of her federal lawsuit and a separate case before the Merit Systems Protection Board, an agency that hears claims from federal employees. The settlement, one of the largest paid to an individual plaintiff in Commerce Department history, includes compensation valued at approximately $1.8 million.
Sherry Chen V. United States. Explore Case.
United States v. Husayn (aka Abu Zubaydah)
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2022

National Security

United States v. Husayn (aka Abu Zubaydah)

Whether the district court may order two CIA contractors who devised and implemented the post-9/11 torture program to testify (as they have done twice before) about nonprivileged information; or if, instead, the Government may prohibit disclosure of even nonprivileged information by invoking the state secrets doctrine.
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United States V. Husayn (aka Abu Zubaydah). Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2022
United States v. Husayn (aka Abu Zubaydah)

National Security

United States v. Husayn (aka Abu Zubaydah)

Whether the district court may order two CIA contractors who devised and implemented the post-9/11 torture program to testify (as they have done twice before) about nonprivileged information; or if, instead, the Government may prohibit disclosure of even nonprivileged information by invoking the state secrets doctrine.
United States V. Husayn (aka Abu Zubaydah). Explore Case.
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