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The ACLU of Tennessee stands up for equality, fairness and justice in the courts. Through our impact litigation and other legal advocacy, we’re fighting for you. ACLU’s legal advocacy in Tennessee spans from the historic Scopes “Monkey Trial” and representation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the sanitation workers’ march in Memphis, to ensuring access to private prison records, protecting families’ religious freedom rights, advocating for gay and lesbian parents who were denied visitation with their children, defending voters’ right to have their ballots counted, and much more. You can learn more about specific cases below.
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Apr 21, 2020
Adams & Boyle, P.C. et al v. Slatery et al
Reproductive Justice
Status: Closed
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Bill limited "non-emergency" healthcare procedures which reproductive healthcare was labeled as, prohibiting procedural abortions.
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Mar 20, 2020
McEwen et al v. Lee
Education Equity
Status: Active
In May 2019, the Tennessee state legislature passed the Tennessee Savings Account Pilot Program, or school vouchers, which authorizes taxpayer-funds to be diverted from public to private schools. This...
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Feb 5, 2020
Nashville Community Bail Fund v. Howard Gentry
Criminal Legal Reform
Status: Closed
The Nashville Community Bail Fund (NCBF) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2016, to address the issue of extended pretrial detention. NCBF assists individuals in posting bail so that they can...
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Dec 18, 2019
Femhealth USA, Inc. v. City of Mt Juliet, et al.
Reproductive Justice
Status: Victory!
Carafem is a network of women’s health centers with four locations across the country. Carafem health centers provide family planning services, which includes a variety of birth control options, abortions,...
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Nov 18, 2019
Butler v. Smith County Board of Education
Education Equity
Status: Victory!
In November 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Tennessee sued the Smith County Board of Education, the Smith County Director of Schools, and the principals of Smith County Middle and...
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Oct 19, 2019
Tennessee v. United States
Immigrants’ Rights
Status: Closed
In March 2017, the Tennessee General Assembly exhibited an effort to block refugee resettlement in the state by filing a lawsuit against the federal government claiming that it violated the Refugee Act of...