Arizona
Jensen v. Thornell
UPDATE: On July 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver issued an order formally appointing a receiver to assume control and management of health care provided to more than 25,000 people incarcerated in Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) prisons, in a long-running lawsuit against the state prison system brought by the Prison Law Office, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Arizona, and Disability Rights Arizona. More details here.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
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Arizona
Oct 2023
Criminal Law Reform
Racial Justice
Fund for Empowerment v. Phoenix, City of
Fund for Empowerment is a challenge to the City of Phoenix’s practice of conducting sweeps of encampments without notice, issuing citations to unsheltered people for camping and sleeping on public property when they have no place else to go, and confiscating and destroying their property without notice or process.
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38 Arizona Cases
Arizona
Jun 2015
Immigrants' Rights
Lopez-Valenzuela, et al. v. Maricopa County, et al.
After a long legal battle the ACLU, on behalf of plaintiffs in Lopez Valenzuela v. Maricopa County prevailed by blocking further implementation of a law that for years did not allow judges to even consider bail for criminal defendants who were suspected of having "entered or remained in the United States illegally," and which applied to most state felony charges in Arizona, including relatively minor crimes such as shoplifting and possessing a phony ID. As a result of Proposition 100, which amended the state constitution, state courts were required to jail countless individuals who posed no risk of flight or danger to others.
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Arizona
Jun 2015
Immigrants' Rights
Lopez-Valenzuela, et al. v. Maricopa County, et al.
After a long legal battle the ACLU, on behalf of plaintiffs in Lopez Valenzuela v. Maricopa County prevailed by blocking further implementation of a law that for years did not allow judges to even consider bail for criminal defendants who were suspected of having "entered or remained in the United States illegally," and which applied to most state felony charges in Arizona, including relatively minor crimes such as shoplifting and possessing a phony ID. As a result of Proposition 100, which amended the state constitution, state courts were required to jail countless individuals who posed no risk of flight or danger to others.
Arizona
Feb 2015
Immigrants' Rights
Cortes v. Lakowsky
Over the last two years since the "show me your papers" provision of Arizona's anti-immigrant law SB 1070 went into effect, the ACLU has documented numerous cases of racial profiling and illegal detentions by law enforcement officials throughout the state. In Tucson alone, the ACLU has filed several "Notices of Claim" alleging that law enforcement officers regularly engage in racial profiling and illegal detention as a result of applying the law.
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Arizona
Feb 2015
Immigrants' Rights
Cortes v. Lakowsky
Over the last two years since the "show me your papers" provision of Arizona's anti-immigrant law SB 1070 went into effect, the ACLU has documented numerous cases of racial profiling and illegal detentions by law enforcement officials throughout the state. In Tucson alone, the ACLU has filed several "Notices of Claim" alleging that law enforcement officers regularly engage in racial profiling and illegal detention as a result of applying the law.
Arizona
Jan 2015
Women's Rights
Nancy Markham v. City of Surprise
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arizona, and private firm Aiken Schenk Hawkins & Ricciardi P.C., have settled a federal lawsuit challenging an unconstitutional municipal ordinance that pressures landlords to evict a tenant if more than four calls to police are placed in 30 days or for crimes occurring at the property, even when the tenant is the victim.
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Arizona
Jan 2015
Women's Rights
Nancy Markham v. City of Surprise
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arizona, and private firm Aiken Schenk Hawkins & Ricciardi P.C., have settled a federal lawsuit challenging an unconstitutional municipal ordinance that pressures landlords to evict a tenant if more than four calls to police are placed in 30 days or for crimes occurring at the property, even when the tenant is the victim.
Arizona
May 2014
Immigrants' Rights
Valle del Sol v. Whiting et al.
(Formerly Friendly House et al. v. Whiting).
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the most hotly disputed part of Arizona's anti-immigrant law, S.B. 1070, which requires police to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is "reasonable suspicion" they are not in the U.S. legally. The ACLU, along with a coalition of civil rights organizations, will continue to challenge the Arizona law on other constitutional grounds.
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Arizona
May 2014
Immigrants' Rights
Valle del Sol v. Whiting et al.
(Formerly Friendly House et al. v. Whiting).
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the most hotly disputed part of Arizona's anti-immigrant law, S.B. 1070, which requires police to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is "reasonable suspicion" they are not in the U.S. legally. The ACLU, along with a coalition of civil rights organizations, will continue to challenge the Arizona law on other constitutional grounds.
Arizona
Mar 2014
Reproductive Freedom
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Maricopa County Branch, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum vs. Tom Horne, et al.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the NAACP of Maricopa County and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) challenging a state law that relies on harmful racial stereotypes to shame and discriminate against Black women and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women who decide to end their pregnancies.
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Arizona
Mar 2014
Reproductive Freedom
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Maricopa County Branch, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum vs. Tom Horne, et al.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Arizona have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the NAACP of Maricopa County and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) challenging a state law that relies on harmful racial stereotypes to shame and discriminate against Black women and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women who decide to end their pregnancies.