ACLU of Michigan
@acluofmichigan.bsky.social
Defending civil liberties in Michigan since 1959. The ACLU of Michigan has offices in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. aclumich.org
In hopes of lifting your spirits, we want to highlight some of the incredible legal wins we achieved in 2025, given the onslaught of attacks on our constitutional rights this year.
Read the blog here:
www.aclumich.org/news/courti...
Read the blog here:
www.aclumich.org/news/courti...
December 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
In hopes of lifting your spirits, we want to highlight some of the incredible legal wins we achieved in 2025, given the onslaught of attacks on our constitutional rights this year.
Read the blog here:
www.aclumich.org/news/courti...
Read the blog here:
www.aclumich.org/news/courti...
SLAPP suits are lawsuits designed to silence people for speaking out. This week, Michigan lawmakers unanimously passed a bipartisan anti-SLAPP bill.
Not sure what a SLAPP suit is or why it matters? Our Legislative Director Kyle Zawacki breaks it down in this episode of The Lansing Lowdown.
Not sure what a SLAPP suit is or why it matters? Our Legislative Director Kyle Zawacki breaks it down in this episode of The Lansing Lowdown.
December 19, 2025 at 6:18 PM
SLAPP suits are lawsuits designed to silence people for speaking out. This week, Michigan lawmakers unanimously passed a bipartisan anti-SLAPP bill.
Not sure what a SLAPP suit is or why it matters? Our Legislative Director Kyle Zawacki breaks it down in this episode of The Lansing Lowdown.
Not sure what a SLAPP suit is or why it matters? Our Legislative Director Kyle Zawacki breaks it down in this episode of The Lansing Lowdown.
A big bipartisan win today for the freedom of speech for all Michiganders!
Today, House Bill 4045, a bill that will put important protections in place to dismiss SLAPP suits, was passed unanimously by the Michigan legislature and will have immediate effect with the Governor’s signature. #SLAPP
Today, House Bill 4045, a bill that will put important protections in place to dismiss SLAPP suits, was passed unanimously by the Michigan legislature and will have immediate effect with the Governor’s signature. #SLAPP
December 18, 2025 at 8:21 PM
A big bipartisan win today for the freedom of speech for all Michiganders!
Today, House Bill 4045, a bill that will put important protections in place to dismiss SLAPP suits, was passed unanimously by the Michigan legislature and will have immediate effect with the Governor’s signature. #SLAPP
Today, House Bill 4045, a bill that will put important protections in place to dismiss SLAPP suits, was passed unanimously by the Michigan legislature and will have immediate effect with the Governor’s signature. #SLAPP
"It is my hope that this Supreme Court will finally see the humanity of transgender people, and recognize that virtually every aspect of their lives is being attacked by the current administration." Jay Kaplan, ACLU-MI LGBTQ+ Rights Attorney
pridesource.com/article/jay...
pridesource.com/article/jay...
Supreme Court Chooses Cruelty Over Evidence in Transgender Passport Case
Like so many others, I was heartbroken by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that allows the Trump administration to enforce its executive order denying
pridesource.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
"It is my hope that this Supreme Court will finally see the humanity of transgender people, and recognize that virtually every aspect of their lives is being attacked by the current administration." Jay Kaplan, ACLU-MI LGBTQ+ Rights Attorney
pridesource.com/article/jay...
pridesource.com/article/jay...
Today we remember those who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence. Every trans person deserves to live a full, authentic life. #transgenderdayofremembrance #tdor
November 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Today we remember those who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence. Every trans person deserves to live a full, authentic life. #transgenderdayofremembrance #tdor
Barbara Cameron was a Hunkpapa Lakota artist and pillar of the San Francisco community who advocated fearlessly for lesbian and Two-Spirit people like her, people with HIV/AIDS, and women impacted by violence.
November 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Barbara Cameron was a Hunkpapa Lakota artist and pillar of the San Francisco community who advocated fearlessly for lesbian and Two-Spirit people like her, people with HIV/AIDS, and women impacted by violence.
In the first 9 months of the Trump presidency, at least 22 people have died while in ICE custody. In the spirit of the Day of the Dead, many gathered outside the Grand Rapids ICE field office on Saturday to honor the lives lost.
November 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
In the first 9 months of the Trump presidency, at least 22 people have died while in ICE custody. In the spirit of the Day of the Dead, many gathered outside the Grand Rapids ICE field office on Saturday to honor the lives lost.
In Michigan, where state civil rights protections extend to transgender people, U-M and Corewell’s decisions to stop providing gender-affirming care to trans minors appears to be “clearly discriminatory,” according to ACLU-MI staff attorney Jay Kaplan.
bridgemi.com/michigan-he...
bridgemi.com/michigan-he...
Out of reach: Where do Michigan’s trans youth go for care now? - Bridge Michigan
The University of Michigan and Corewell Health dropped gender-affirming care for their young transgender patients earlier this year. The decision has left families facing a new medical and political reality.
bridgemi.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
In Michigan, where state civil rights protections extend to transgender people, U-M and Corewell’s decisions to stop providing gender-affirming care to trans minors appears to be “clearly discriminatory,” according to ACLU-MI staff attorney Jay Kaplan.
bridgemi.com/michigan-he...
bridgemi.com/michigan-he...
Thank you to everyone who voiced their fierce opposition to Center Line entering into an agreement that allows their police officers to do federal immigration enforcement – round up and detain immigrants – on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
November 6, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Thank you to everyone who voiced their fierce opposition to Center Line entering into an agreement that allows their police officers to do federal immigration enforcement – round up and detain immigrants – on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In response to the increasingly aggressive and dehumanizing immigration enforcement methods being deployed across the country, Senate Bills 508, 509, and 510, aim to protect Michigan families by creating meaningful, common sense protections.
Make your voice heard: secure.ngpvan.com/6qW40f-s10iM...
Make your voice heard: secure.ngpvan.com/6qW40f-s10iM...
November 5, 2025 at 4:54 PM
In response to the increasingly aggressive and dehumanizing immigration enforcement methods being deployed across the country, Senate Bills 508, 509, and 510, aim to protect Michigan families by creating meaningful, common sense protections.
Make your voice heard: secure.ngpvan.com/6qW40f-s10iM...
Make your voice heard: secure.ngpvan.com/6qW40f-s10iM...
About a hundred federal courts nationwide have ruled that noncitizens like Jose Contreras Cervantes, who have been living in the U.S., have the right to go before an immigration court judge and seek release.
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-ju...
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-ju...
Michigan resident with leukemia, in ICE custody for 2 months, released after judge's order
A federal judge ordered ICE to release Jose Contreras-Cervantes, a longtime Michigan resident who lacks legal status. The ACLU says he was detained without consistent treatment for his leukemia.
www.michiganpublic.org
November 2, 2025 at 5:00 PM
About a hundred federal courts nationwide have ruled that noncitizens like Jose Contreras Cervantes, who have been living in the U.S., have the right to go before an immigration court judge and seek release.
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-ju...
www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-ju...
Happy Native American Heritage Month! We are proud to celebrate and uplift the cultures, traditions, art, and stories of Native American communities while ensuring their rights are protected under Michigan law.
November 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Happy Native American Heritage Month! We are proud to celebrate and uplift the cultures, traditions, art, and stories of Native American communities while ensuring their rights are protected under Michigan law.
"It’s most important to have a crisis intervention team of officers who have a really good understanding of mental illness so they can calm the person down. In this case, there was zero de-escalation done.” Amir Makled, Civil rights attorney
www.metrotimes.com/news/expert...
www.metrotimes.com/news/expert...
Experts say Warren police broke the law in brutal beating of mentally ill man - Detroit Metro Times
Civil rights attorneys, former law enforcement officials, and mental health experts tell Metro Times that the Warren Police Department’s handling of 26-year-old Christopher Gibson was not only unnecessary but, according to several experts, it was illegal and should have led to charges.Gibson was “brutally battered, tasered and threatened with a barking K-9” while in custody in December 2022, according to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Michigan. The suit says Gibson, who has schizophrenia, was denied psychiatric help even after his mother pleaded with police to take him to a hospital. Instead, they arrested him and locked him in a cell, where body-cam footage shows officers pepper-spraying, hooding, and repeatedly tasering him as he screamed for help. He was later hospitalized with heart and kidney damage.
www.metrotimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"It’s most important to have a crisis intervention team of officers who have a really good understanding of mental illness so they can calm the person down. In this case, there was zero de-escalation done.” Amir Makled, Civil rights attorney
www.metrotimes.com/news/expert...
www.metrotimes.com/news/expert...
Thank you to the thousands of people who joined a No Kings protest this past Saturday. This is truly what democracy looks like.
October 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Thank you to the thousands of people who joined a No Kings protest this past Saturday. This is truly what democracy looks like.
BREAKING NEWS - DAD WITH LEUKEMIA IS FREE!!
Jose Contreras Cervantes, who has a rare form of Leukemia and was arrested and detained for more than 2 months, was released today and has been reunited with his family where he belongs!
Jose Contreras Cervantes, who has a rare form of Leukemia and was arrested and detained for more than 2 months, was released today and has been reunited with his family where he belongs!
October 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
BREAKING NEWS - DAD WITH LEUKEMIA IS FREE!!
Jose Contreras Cervantes, who has a rare form of Leukemia and was arrested and detained for more than 2 months, was released today and has been reunited with his family where he belongs!
Jose Contreras Cervantes, who has a rare form of Leukemia and was arrested and detained for more than 2 months, was released today and has been reunited with his family where he belongs!
Read the full press release here: www.aclumich.org/en/press-re...
October 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Read the full press release here: www.aclumich.org/en/press-re...
If you're taking to the streets to protest today, know your rights.
October 18, 2025 at 2:28 PM
If you're taking to the streets to protest today, know your rights.
Here's what you need to know about your protest rights when attending a No Kings rally this weekend:
October 18, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Here's what you need to know about your protest rights when attending a No Kings rally this weekend:
Gabriela Mistral was a Chilean poet and activist whose work explored love in all its forms.
She was the first Latine poet to win a Nobel Prize for literature, and she tirelessly advocated for human rights and democracy.
She was the first Latine poet to win a Nobel Prize for literature, and she tirelessly advocated for human rights and democracy.
October 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Gabriela Mistral was a Chilean poet and activist whose work explored love in all its forms.
She was the first Latine poet to win a Nobel Prize for literature, and she tirelessly advocated for human rights and democracy.
She was the first Latine poet to win a Nobel Prize for literature, and she tirelessly advocated for human rights and democracy.
ICE has stolen precious time from the Contreras-Cervantes family. The scope of this injustice is why Lupita, despite the tremendous hardships she and her family are facing, wants to share her family’s story.
Read the full blog here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/dad...
Read the full blog here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/dad...
October 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM
ICE has stolen precious time from the Contreras-Cervantes family. The scope of this injustice is why Lupita, despite the tremendous hardships she and her family are facing, wants to share her family’s story.
Read the full blog here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/dad...
Read the full blog here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/dad...
Our client Jose Contreras turned 34 this week in immigration detention with his family singing Happy Birthday to him virtually. We will continue fighting to bring Jose home so he and his kids can celebrate his release – and a belated birthday – together. Families belong together.
October 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Our client Jose Contreras turned 34 this week in immigration detention with his family singing Happy Birthday to him virtually. We will continue fighting to bring Jose home so he and his kids can celebrate his release – and a belated birthday – together. Families belong together.
Willy Chavarria was born to a Mexican-American father and an Irish-American mother in segregated Fresno, California in the 1950s. Due to his experiences with multiethnic parents, his identity as a queer man, and his migrant and working-class roots...
October 3, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Willy Chavarria was born to a Mexican-American father and an Irish-American mother in segregated Fresno, California in the 1950s. Due to his experiences with multiethnic parents, his identity as a queer man, and his migrant and working-class roots...
ACLU-MI filed a federal lawsuit demanding that 8 people detained by ICE, including a father of three US citizen children who suffers from leukemia and has had his life-saving treatments disrupted while in custody, be immediately released or given bond hearings within seven days.
October 2, 2025 at 5:05 PM
ACLU-MI filed a federal lawsuit demanding that 8 people detained by ICE, including a father of three US citizen children who suffers from leukemia and has had his life-saving treatments disrupted while in custody, be immediately released or given bond hearings within seven days.
Happy Michigan Library Appreciation Month!
Librarians, along with groups like the ACLU, have been on the frontlines in fighting back against attempts at censorship.
Read more about these efforts here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/sup...
Librarians, along with groups like the ACLU, have been on the frontlines in fighting back against attempts at censorship.
Read more about these efforts here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/sup...
October 1, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Happy Michigan Library Appreciation Month!
Librarians, along with groups like the ACLU, have been on the frontlines in fighting back against attempts at censorship.
Read more about these efforts here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/sup...
Librarians, along with groups like the ACLU, have been on the frontlines in fighting back against attempts at censorship.
Read more about these efforts here: www.aclumich.org/en/news/sup...
Powerful conversation on @michigan_public Stateside with two Michigan moms talking to host @aprilbaer about their transgender children
www.michiganpublic.org/stateside/2...
www.michiganpublic.org/stateside/2...
Stateside: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025
First, a conversation with parents on how Corewell Health's step backwards on gender-affirming care affects their families. Then, a residential artist at the University of Michigan walks us through her upcoming book on country/folk music, race and class in American history.
www.michiganpublic.org
September 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Powerful conversation on @michigan_public Stateside with two Michigan moms talking to host @aprilbaer about their transgender children
www.michiganpublic.org/stateside/2...
www.michiganpublic.org/stateside/2...