Court Cases

In an effort to encourage fellow Connecticut residents to take action to save democracy and consider the rule of law, the Visibility Brigade, including our clients Erin Quinn and Robert Marra, turned to the streets to be heard and seen. Standing on local roads where they pass over I-95, Ms. Quinn and Dr. Marra have held signs condemning the government overreach and abuse of power that they have been witnessing and continue to witness. State law enforcement have threatened, detained, and prosecuted several of the protestors in the Visibility Brigade, claiming that no signs may ever be shown to interstate traffic or that sign-holders are criminally liable for drivers' reactions to the signs. These signs include a variety of messages, including language such as "Due process is the law," "These voices melt ICE," "No Kings," "Love Liberty? Resist Tyranny," and "Hands Off Our Judges." State police have insisted that sign-holders are trespassing, or illegally displaying signs that may distract drivers. Meanwhile, Connecticut allows other roadway signage, including large electronic billboards. Overpass streets and public sidewalks are traditional public forums where the right to free speech remains inalienable. The ACLU Foundation of Connecticut is suing to force the defendants—Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto and Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell Higgins—to abide by the First Amendment and stop threatening or prosecuting overpass demonstrators. Follow this case page to stay updated on Quinn v. Eucalitto.

With our partners, the ACLU-CT sued the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) for its continuing physical and psychological abuse of people with mental illness incarcerated in DOC prisons and jails.

With other civil rights organizations, the ACLU of Connecticut is suing over the Trump Administration's new HUD rule that would roll back critical protections for fair housing by creating unnecessary barriers for victims of housing discrimination attempting to prove discriminatory practices.

The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit on July 2, 2020, seeking to make absentee mail-in voting available to every eligible voter during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ACLU and ACLU of Connecticut have filed a pregnancy discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) on behalf of police officer Sarah Alicea.