Virginia
learn about our work in Virginia
learn about our work in Virginia
All Cases
February 22, 2023


February 22, 2023
Vlaming v. West Point School District
LGBTQ Rights
Status: Ongoing
In September of 2019, Peter Vlaming, a French teacher at West Point High School, refused to address a transgender boy in his class with he/him pronouns. Instead, the teacher avoided using pronouns when addressing the student, while continuing to use gendered pronouns when addressing everyone else. After several warnings, the school district told the teacher he needed to address the student with male pronouns (the same way he addressed other boys) or he would be fired. The teacher refused; the school district fired him, and Vlaming, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, filed a suit in state court arguing that the school district violated his free speech and free exercise rights under the Virginia Constitution and Virginia’s RFRA.
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June 22, 2022

June 22, 2022
Virginia Obscenity Proceedings Against Two Books
Free Speech
Status: Ongoing
On June 22, 2022, our clients—local bookstores Prince Books, Read Books, One More Page Books, and bbgb tales for kids, as well as American Booksellers for Free Expression, Association of American Publishers, Inc., Authors Guild, Inc., American Library Association, Virginia Library Association, and Freedom to Read Foundation—filed motions seeking to dismiss obscenity proceedings against two books, highlighting the unconstitutional nature of the proceedings and noting that the books are not obscene as a matter of law.
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October 6, 2021

October 6, 2021
Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board
LGBTQ Rights
Status: Closed
Gavin Grimm sued his school board for excluding him the restrooms any other boy in his school would use — simply because he is transgender.
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May 5, 2020


May 5, 2020
League of Women Voters of Virginia v. Virginia State Board of Elections
Voting Rights
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Virginia filed a federal lawsuit on April 17, 2020, challenging Virginia’s “witness requirement.” Under Virginia law, any voter who submits an absentee ballot by mail must open the envelope containing the ballot in front of another person, fill out the ballot, and then have that other person sign the outside of the ballot envelope before it is mailed back.
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June 4, 2019

June 4, 2019
Home of Virginia, Inc. V. Wisely Properties,Llc and Multifamily Management Services, Inc.
Racial Justice
The ACLU and the ACLU of Virginia, along with Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights law firm, filed a federal lawsuit against the owner of a Chesterfield County apartment complex for application policies that discriminate against black people. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc. (HOME), explains how the blanket criminal record screening policy used at Sterling Glen Apartments is intended to keep African Americans from living there and disproportionately harms people of color.
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