The ACLU of Michigan files lawsuits that impact people’s rights by setting a legal precedent, or affecting the policies and actions of public officials. Our current Fall 2022 Legal Docket details our legal cases and actions taken in 2021-2022.
The ACLU of Michigan is representing a white mother and her adopted African American son in a challenge to racial insensitivity in the Brighton school district. When her child was in second grade and the only Black child in his class, he decided to grow dreadlocks. In response to inquiries abou
When a statewide moratorium on water shutoffs that was imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic expired, Saginaw city officials decided to resume water shutoffs for families that had unpaid water bills. Those affected included 250 families whose water service was terminated immediately and 7
Edward Tyson is an African American man who was the victim of violence outside a bar in a small town in Cheboygan County. His assailant, widely known as a belligerent racist, repeatedly called Mr. Tyson the N word and punched him in the head until he lay on the ground bleeding. The operators of
Keyon Harrison, an African American 16-year-old, was walking home from school when he saw another youth with a model truck and paused to look at it. Grand Rapids police stopped Keyon, took his picture, and fingerprinted him even though Keyon did nothing more than admire a toy.
When police obtain a search warrant, the Fourth Amendment requires that the scope of the search be limited to a particular place and for evidence of the particular crime being investigated. In the modern era, a person’s electronic devices hold vast amounts of data, and a warrant to s
In the wake of the housing crash of 2008, Black communities have been targeted by predatory “land contract” schemes that promise the dream of home ownership but are structured to fail.