Equal Protection

The ACLU of Nevada advances justice for people who have experienced discrimination, but we recognize we must do more to assist those in need of our support. Those who have experienced discrimination because of race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and/or any other attributes deserve our support when issues of systemic injustice arise.

Collage graphic showing a crowd of people at a protest holding signs, paired with a yellow panel displaying a handwritten message that reads ‘Equal rights for others does not mean less rights for you. It’s not pie.’ The design uses navy and gold tones to highlight equality and solidarity.

Equal protection under the law is one of Nevada’s proudest constitutional guarantees. Yet the federal government continues to attack long-standing protections and promote discrimination disguised as “fairness.” We cannot allow those in power to turn Nevadans against one another and erode our state’s commitment to equality.

Nevada is home to the nation’s most expansive state Equal Rights Amendment and ACLU of Nevada works to make those protections a reality. Equality under the law protects us all, not just some.

The Latest

Press Release
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ACLU Releases Amicus Brief for Nevada Parental Notification Case 

Issue Areas: Health Equity, Equal Protection
Court Cases: Planned Parenthood Mar Monte v. Nevada (Amicus)
Press Release
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ACLU of Nevada Files Class Action Lawsuit to Seek Bond Hearings and Ensure Due Process for Detained Immigrants

Issue Areas: Equal Protection
Court Cases: Jacobo-Ramirez et al. v. Noem
Press Release
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LVMPD Ignores Underlying Nevada Court Order in ACLU of Nevada’s 287(g) Challenge and Transfers Detainee to ICE Custody

Issue Areas: Equal Protection
Court Cases: Morais-Hechavarria v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
News & Commentary
Las Vegas Metro police car

Metro’s cooperation with ICE violates state law, says ACLU of Nevada lawsuit

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada is challenging the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist the federal agency by holding individuals in custody beyond their release.
Court Case
Nov 04, 2025

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte v. Nevada (Amicus)

In yet another result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision, in July 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction against a 1985 Nevada law requiring parental notification for abortion procedures for minors. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, a 501(c)3 health care provider, quickly filed litigation to block the notification law from negatively affecting access to abortion care in Nevada. ACLU and ACLU of Nevada argue in a new amicus brief that a lower court ruling used incorrect legal standards. The amicus brief also examines the procedures that are required under the 1985 law, including interviews and court hearings for young people seeking judicial bypass. Such processes differ from county to county, with some courts having no processes in place at all.
Court Case
Oct 13, 2025

Morais-Hechavarria v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

We filed a lawsuit challenging the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) 287(g) agreement with ICE. That agreement allows ICE to use local law enforcement to assist in carrying out its federal immigration enforcement agenda.
Court Case
Sep 26, 2024

Spencer v. City of Henderson (Amicus)

The ACLU of Nevada and Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice filed an amicus brief in Song Spencer & James Spencer v. City of Henderson, urging the Nevada Supreme Court to allow people to recover attorney’s fees as special damages in successful challenges in civil asset forfeiture cases when the government wrongfully seizes their property. Our amicus brief argues that Nevada law already allows recovery of attorney’s fees in cases when warranted, even when there is no law directly on point, and that principle should apply here, when someone is forced to sue the government to get their own property back. This case is a challenge to the constitutionality of civil forfeiture laws.
Court Case
Dec 30, 2024

Singh v. Nissan Moto Co. (Amicus)

The ACLU of Nevada filed an amicus brief urging the Nevada Supreme Court to strengthen its interpretation of the Equal Rights Amendment to prevent racial discrimination within the courts. A Batson challenge is an objection raised by a lawyer during jury selection when they believe the other side is excluding a potential juror because of their race. Under the Nevada Supreme Court decision in Dixon v. State, Batson challenges are not applicable when the excluded juror is an alternate who did not actively deliberate. Our amicus argues that the Batson process should prohibit a party from striking a juror if that party offers a race-based justification, even if that juror would have been an uncalled alternate. Ultimately, the panel of judges decided that it was a harmless error, a decision unfavorable to our amicus brief.