American Civil Liberties Union

Women's Rights:
The ACLU's Women's Rights Project was co-founded in 1972 by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Through litigation, community outreach, advocacy and public education, WRP empowers poor women, women of color and immigrant women who have been victimized by gender bias and face pervasive barriers to equality. Learn more about the WRP.


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Womens Rights : General : Press Releases

ACLU and Former 911 Dispatcher File Lawsuit Challenging North Carolina Anti-Cohabitation Law (03/28/2005)
BURGAW, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Debora Hobbs, an unmarried woman who lost her job as a 911 dispatcher simply because she chose to live with her boyfriend in violation of a 200-year-old state law that makes it a criminal offense for partners of the opposite sex to live together out of wedlock.

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.

ACLU Announces Online Complaint Form For Airline Security Groping, Warns That Women Are Still Vulnerable (12/22/2004)
NEW YORK-As Americans head into the holiday travel rush, the American Civil Liberties Union today warned that women still remain susceptible to sexual harassment at airline security gates, and announced that it has posted an online complaint form that travelers can use to describe any abuses that take place.

ACLU Defends Ethiopian Woman Kept in Forced Labor in New Jersey (12/21/2004)
NEWARK, NJ-The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Ethiopian woman who was brought to the United States and forced to work without pay as a live-in domestic and childcare worker for a New Jersey couple, in violation of state, federal and international laws.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Protect Whistle-Blowers Who Report Sex Discrimination in Schools (11/30/2004)
WASHINGTON--The Supreme Court today heard opening arguments in a case that will determine whether people who report sex discrimination in public schools or other federally-funded programs are protected against retaliation under a federal anti-discrimination law.

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.

ACLU Says Rhode Island DMV Is Still Giving Women Misinformation About Name Change Rights 25 Years After Landmark Court Decision (07/28/2004)
PROVIDENCE, RI--On the 25th anniversary of a landmark Rhode Island Supreme Court decision declaring that married women have the legal right to use their birth name on their driver's license, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island charged today that the state Division of Motor Vehicles continues to misinform women about their rights.

ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Award Money Damages in Female Police Officer's Sexual Harassment Case (03/31/2004)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined a broad coalition of civil rights groups in urging the Supreme Court to rule that a female police officer's forced resignation due to severe sexual harassment is deserving of monetary damages, just as it would be if she were wrongfully discharged.

ACLU Says Single-Sex Education Proposal Gets Failing Grade (03/03/2004)
WASHINGTON - Responding to the announcement of a new federal proposal encouraging single-sex public schooling, the American Civil Liberties Union today noted that, by the Secretary of Education's own admission, the research is incomplete on how such sex-separation impacts the quality of education.

ACLU Defends NYC School Custodians After Justice Department Dumps Their Discrimination Case (10/23/2002)
NEW YORK-The American Civil Liberties Union today said that it is defending 20 New York City school custodians whose discrimination lawsuit was recently abandoned by the U.S. Department of Justice and who as a result now stand to lose their seniority, their benefits and their jobs.

ACLU and City of Grants Pass, Oregon Reach Interim Settlement Agreement in Girls Softball Suit (05/01/2002)
Grants Pass, OR -- On April 22, 2002, the parties in Bellum v. Grants Pass, successfully mediated a resolution of the Spring/Summer 2002 field scheduling at the Grants Pass Riverside West All Sports Park. The mediation, which took place in Eugene, Oregon, was conducted with the assistance of United States Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin. As well as resolving the plaintiffs' pending motions for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction affecting the park's spring and summer field scheduling, the parties agreed to promptly explore further mediation of the remaining issues in the case. At the conclusion of the mediation, Judge Coffin complimented the parties for their efforts in achieving this resolution for the 2002 season. Any further questions on this may be directed to the parties' respective legal counsel.

On International Women's Day, the ACLU Calls on the United States To Ratify UN Convention on Ending Discrimination Against Women (03/08/2002)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today joins other groups around the world to celebrate International Women's Day. Never before has it been more clear that all women must stand together to oppose the obstacles that they share -- violence in their homes and on their streets, discrimination in their jobs, repressive political, cultural, and religious forces, and infringements on their reproductive choices. 

LaShawn Warren Joins ACLU National Washington Office As Legislative Counsel Responsible for Civil Rights (06/11/2001)
WASHINGTON -- LaShawn Warren has joined the American Civil Liberties Union as a Legislative Counsel in its Washington National Office, where she will focus on civil rights, specifically voting rights, affirmative action and women's rights. 

Equal Rights Amendment Re-Introduced in Congress; ACLU Says Measure Necessary to Protect Women (03/22/2001)
WASHINGTON - Renewing a commitment to equal rights for women first made more than 70 years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union once again endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and urged Congress to once again adopt the historic measure. 

Lenora Lapidus Named Director of ACLU's Women's Rights Project (03/15/2001)
NEW YORK--The ACLU today announced the appointment of Lenora Lapidus as director of its Women's Rights Project, which was founded in 1971 by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Women's Rights and Reproductive Health Care Suffers as the Michigan Legislative Session Ends (12/15/2000)
DETROIT--The fight for women's rights and reproductive health care suffered severe setbacks in the recently concluded legislative session, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood said today.

PA Officials Routinely Deny Federally Mandated Aid To Relatives Acting as Foster Parents (08/16/2000)
PHILADELPHIA -- State and county officials are withholding tens of millions of dollars per year in federal benefit payments to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others caring for the children of troubled relatives, according to a federal class action lawsuit filed today in Philadelphia by the Juvenile Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Settlement of CA Lawsuit Brings Equality, Victory for Girls' and Women's Sports, ACLU Says (10/27/1999)
LOS ANGELES -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today announced the settlement of a highly publicized lawsuit that exposed the institutional inequities facing girls' sports in Los Angeles and the lack of access that women have to local municipal recreation programs.

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