Press Releases

Press requests should be directed to media@aclupa.org.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Strikes Down Lebanon County Ban on Medical Marijuana for People on Probation

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that Lebanon County’s policy banning the use of medical marijuana by people who are on probation and who are registered medical marijuana patients violates state law.

PA Supreme Court Rules in Favor of ACLU in Effort to Obtain State Police Social Media Policy

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania today ruled that the Commonwealth Court erred when it opted not to review the social media policy of the state police and then ruled that the policy did not need to be released in response to a Right To Know request by the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

ACLU-PA Statement on the Death of Dominique Rem'mie Fells

On Monday, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, a Black transgender woman, was found dead in Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Police Department has ruled her death to be a homicide.
Issue Areas: Trans Justice

Partial Agreement Reached in Class Action Lawsuit Requiring Soap, Cleaning Products, and Facemasks in Philadelphia Jails to Address COVID-19 Spread

A judge approved a consent order on a partial settlement agreement in a class action civil rights lawsuit on behalf of people currently incarcerated in Philadelphia. The lawsuit seeks the immediate implementation of health and safety protocols to protect people from COVID-19 in the city’s prisons.

Challengers Tell Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court That Ballot Question on Criminal Proceedings is Unconstitutional

Today, an attorney for the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Lorraine Haw argued before the Commonwealth Court that a ballot question on rights in criminal proceedings posed to voters last year is unconstitutional and that the court should declare it void.  

ACLU-PA Statement on Revisions to Philadelphia Police Budget

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania released a statement in response to Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney after he announced his intention to rescind his proposed increase to the Philadelphia Police Department’s budget for the 2021 fiscal year.

Prison Reform Advocates Reach Agreement With Allegheny County Over Steps to Protect Incarcerated People From COVID-19

A federal judge approved an order today to resolve a preliminary injunction motion filed on behalf of three people incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail seeking changes to the jail’s practices to protect people in the jail from COVID-19.

In New Lawsuit, Advocates Seek Documents on Civil Immigration Arrests

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic at Villanova University filed a federal lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today, seeking documents that indicate how the agency’s officers engage in civil immigration enforcement.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights

ACLU-PA Tells State Supreme Court That Lebanon County’s Policy on Medical Marijuana and Probation is Illegal

Today, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging Lebanon County’s policy prohibiting the use of medical marijuana by people who are under community supervision, such as probation, and who are registered patients with the state Department of Health.