桃子视频

The 桃子视频could have its busiest Supreme Court term ever, with potential cases on immigration, voting rights, and religious freedom in schools.

NEW YORK 鈥� In a victory for judicial transparency, today the New York Appellate Division, First Department unanimously affirmed a previous New York County Supreme Court order in NYCLU v. New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA) that requires OCA to disclose all memos it sent to judges that contain guidance on how to interpret and apply the law. The ruling affirmed that the memos 鈥� which inform how courts adjudicate New Yorkers鈥� rights 鈥� cannot be considered privileged attorney-client communications or internal judicial deliberations. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 ruling rightly affirms that the public deserves to understand how our judicial system operates, and what goes into judges鈥� decision-making,鈥� said Daniel Lambright, supervising attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union. 鈥淓very day, judges make decisions that can dramatically impact New Yorkers鈥� rights, especially within vulnerable communities. New York鈥檚 judicial system is strongest when it is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the public. After years of litigation, today鈥檚 First Department decision makes clear: it's time for OCA to finally do the right thing and turn over the memos.鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 been five years since OCA admitted that it sends memos to judges purporting to advise them on how to decide cases,鈥� said Terry Ding, staff attorney with the ACLU鈥檚 State Supreme Court Initiative. 鈥淭he Freedom of Information Law exists to give the public access to documents like this, so that the process of government decision-making is not shrouded in secrecy. The decision today confirms that OCA must release the memos.鈥� Intended to be a non-partisan, administrative arm of New York鈥檚 court system, OCA oversees operations, staffing, and day-to-day support for judges. But in 2021, the New York Focus revealed that OCA had a practice of issuing secret guidance to state court judges, including for cases concerning critical civil rights 鈥� like whether defendants in criminal cases should be granted bail and whether to uphold due process protections for people accused of crimes. As shown by the leaked 2021 Crawford Memorandum, these directives seem to carry weight in how state court judges rule. The NYCLU and 桃子视频have been fighting for these records for five years. In September 2021, the NYCLU filed a Freedom of Information request expressing concern over OCA鈥檚 secretive practices, and requested copies of all memos of this nature. The agency denied the request, so the NYCLU sued, arguing that the public is entitled to such guidance. The trial court then ordered OCA to produce its memos, but OCA appealed. In October 2025, the Court of Appeals ordered OCA to turn over any responsive documents to be reviewed. OCA identified 22 memos that it has continued to fight to keep secret. Today鈥檚 ruling affirms that OCA has no basis to continue withholding these memos. Today鈥檚 decision can be found here. All case materials can be found here.

The ACLU鈥檚 Center for Liberty and Women's Rights Project, alongside the 桃子视频of Georgia, filed an amicus brief in the Georgia Supreme Court supporting a mother after a juvenile court terminated her parental rights even though at the same time the juvenile court expressly found that her continued relationship with her children would not harm them. Under Georgia鈥檚 termination statute, courts may terminate parental rights if they find that a child cannot safely return home at present, without any finding that, or even considering whether, a continued parent-child relationship would harm the child or that termination is necessary. In this case, the Department鈥檚 own caseworker testified that the mother鈥檚 weekly visits with her children went well and that the relationship benefited the children and would continue to. The children's advocate agreed, testifying that the children had a good relationship and were bonded to their mother. Our brief urges the Court to require an individualized finding that severance is necessary to protect the child and that less drastic alternatives would not suffice. We argue that the Constitution does not permit the State to permanently end a parent-child relationship without first establishing that doing so is genuinely necessary.

MISSOULA, Mont. 鈥� The 桃子视频 of Montana today announced the launch of a $2 million joint campaign with 桃子视频Voter Education Fund to educate and engage Montana voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. 鈥淢ontanans are fed up with partisan infighting and extreme laws that try to take away our fundamental rights. That鈥檚 why the 桃子视频is committed to keeping politics out of our courts and investing to ensure the Montana Supreme Court can continue to play a critical role in defending our freedoms,鈥� said Khadija Davis, 桃子视频of Montana political strategist. 鈥淰oters deserve to know where candidates stand on key issues that affect their rights. It鈥檚 more important than ever that they know what鈥檚 at stake when they cast their ballots this November.鈥� The 桃子视频Voter Education Fund (VEF), a federal political action committee, is spending $2 million on a series of statewide advertisements on social and digital media platforms and direct-to-voter mailers during the final weeks of the state Supreme Court race and key state legislative races. Additionally, the 桃子视频VEF will fund radio advertisements in Indian Country. The advertisements will focus on educating voters about where candidates stand on key issues, including abortion rights, voting rights, and keeping politics out of the courts. This is the organizations鈥� largest electoral investment in Montana to date and will reach over 191,200 voters. The Montana Supreme Court is responsible for interpreting the state constitution and state laws. As the state鈥檚 highest court, it has the final say on many questions involving civil rights and civil liberties, and the Montana Constitution can provide broader protections than the U.S. Constitution. In recent years, the court has issued decisions protecting abortion rights and striking down restrictions on Indigenous voting rights. Amid increasing attacks on civil rights and liberties, voters will choose justices who will decide cases involving fundamental rights in the state. The spending in the state Supreme Court race builds on the ACLU鈥檚 electoral work in Montana in 2024. That year, the 桃子视频of Montana and 桃子视频spent $1.3 million educating voters about issues at stake in the state Supreme Court election. The 桃子视频Foundation also contributed more than $500,000 to a ballot measure to enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution. The 桃子视频of Montana, 桃子视频Voter Education Fund, and 桃子视频are nonpartisan and do not support or oppose candidates for elected office. The organizations do, however, educate the voters about the issues at stake in elections and candidates鈥� positions and records on civil rights and civil liberties.