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Court Cases

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Featured Cases

Court Case
Jul 09, 2025
Graphic with a dark blue and red overlay featuring a police car with flashing lights in a city at night. On the left, the white ACLU of Nevada logo appears. On the right, the text reads “ACLU of Nevada v. LVMPD” in a bold, serif font, divided by a vertical white line.
  • Smart Justice|
  • +1 Issue

ACLU of Nevada v. LVMPD

We are suing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to get public records about the full extent of its involvement with federal immigration enforcement.
Court Case
Apr 19, 2023
Graphic with a dark blue and red overlay showing a school bus parked on a suburban street. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “ACLU of Nevada v. CCSD” in a bold, serif font.
  • First Amendment|
  • +1 Issue

ACLU of Nevada v. Clark County School District

In February, Durango High School students were attacked by CCSD police, and video of the incident was captured by a bystander. CCSD continues to stonewall the release of public records related to the incident. The ACLU of Nevada is representing two of the students attacked in the incident.

All Cases

6 Court Cases
Court Case
Oct 02, 2024
Graphic with a red and purple overlay showing a close-up of a marked election ballot with checkboxes and a pen. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “Citizen Outreach Foundation v. Lorena Portillo” in a bold, serif font.
  • Voting Rights

Citizen Outreach Foundation v. Lorena Portillo

Citizen Outreach Foundation seeks to remove over 19,000 registered voters from the Clark County voter rolls ahead of the November 2024 presidential election. The removals are based on National Change of Address (NCOA) data, which they claim shows these individuals are no longer residing at their registered addresses. The ACLU of Nevada (ACLUNV) has filed a motion to intervene in the case, arguing that removing voters based solely on NCOA data violates both federal and state laws, which prevent systemic voter roll maintenance within 90 days of an election. The ACLU also argues that these challenges do not meet the requirements under Nevada law. At least fourteen ACLU members are among the voters being challenged. If the requested relief is granted, thousands of eligible voters could be wrongfully purged from the voter rolls, impairing their right to vote by mail or altogether disenfranchising them just weeks before the election. The organization further asserts that such a decision would set a dangerous precedent, leading to mass, arbitrary voter challenges. ACLUNV seeks to ensure that the voter roll maintenance laws are followed, safeguarding the right to vote for all eligible voters in Clark County.
Court Case
May 03, 2024
Graphic with a reddish-purple overlay featuring documents and a pen, suggesting mail-in ballots or election materials. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, the text reads “RNC v. Aguilar” in a bold, serif font.
  • Voting Rights

Republican National Committee v. Aguilar

ACLU of Nevada, alongside the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), filed an amicus brief asking the court to dismiss a case challenging Nevada's efforts to maintain its voter rolls. The case, Republican National Committee v. Aguilar, was filed against Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar by The Republican National Committee, the Nevada Republican Party, and a Nevada voter, claiming the state must be violating its obligations under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) because certain misleading metrics show more registered voters than eligible voters in some counties. The amicus brief explains that the lawsuit is based on deeply flawed and misleading metrics that have been pieced together by unreliable and inaccurate measures of voter registration rates and that have been repeatedly rebuked by federal courts. The voter registration numbers they rely on are taken from a single recent snapshot of the state's voter roll but use an outdated census of the citizen voting age population for comparison. Unfortunately, this lawsuit is just one of several cases recently filed across the country with claims under the NVRA and is part of a years-long pattern to bully states into administering voter roll purges beyond what the law requires. Without proper guardrails, when states rush to purge voters, eligible voters, in many cases, are kicked off the rolls and disenfranchised. These lawsuits are based on false information and only erodes the public's trust and integrity in our elections.
Court Case
Mar 27, 2024
Graphic with a dark blue and yellow overlay featuring a statue of Lady Justice in front of a blurred background of legal books. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “Flynn v. Nevada” in a bold, serif font.
  • Smart Justice|
  • +1 Issue

Flynn v. Nevada

Our client is a prisoner at Florence McClure Women's Correctional Facility in Southern Nevada. She was sexually abused by a prison chaplain, Donald Burse, on two separate occasions in August 2020. While Burse was fired after the abuse came to light, and there is a pending criminal case, we are taking on this case because we believe that the Nevada Department of Corrections has not done enough to make sure that such abuse will not happen again in the future.
Court Case
Feb 16, 2024
Graphic with a blue and red overlay featuring a pedestrian bridge over a Las Vegas street. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, the text reads “McAllister v. Clark County” in a bold, serif font.
  • First Amendment

McAllister v. Clark County

We're challenging Clark County's pedestrian flow zone ordinance for its vague language that allows LVMPD to selectively enforce and, in effect, selectively target people. Our client uses a manual wheelchair, and under this ordinance, could be charged with a misdemeanor for stopping to take a break. In January 2024, the Clark County Commission voted to establish pedestrian flow zones on the pedestrian bridges at the Las Vegas Strip and charge people with a misdemeanor for stopping or standing on these bridges.
Court Case
Aug 18, 2020
Graphic with a gold and navy overlay featuring a low-angle view of a courthouse with tall classical columns. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “Semper vs. LVMPD” in a bold, serif font.
  • People Impacted by Discrimination|
  • +1 Issue

Semper, et al. vs. LVMPD

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed this case on behalf of eleven individuals whose constitutional rights were violated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Rio Hotel. On August 19, 2018, our plaintiffs were having a birthday celebration at the Rio Hotel. Each of the 34 guests in attendance that evening is Black. LVMPD, aided by Rio staff, stormed in with no warrant and no reason to believe that any crime was being committed. Despite having no reasonable suspicion, LVMPD officers handcuffed and searched every single guest in attendance. Each guest was made to sit in the hallway of the Rio handcuffed with no access to food, water, or restroom facilities for up to 6 hours. LVMPD alleged that the birthday party was a “gang party,” but no guest was arrested for any criminal gang activity. We’re suing to end LVMPD’s racially discriminatory practice of indiscriminately and unlawfully detaining and searching individuals in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.
Court Case
Mar 31, 2020
Graphic with a red overlay showing a clipboard, a pen, and a stethoscope laid over a medical form. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, the text reads “Ramirez v. Culley” in a bold, serif font.
  • Health Equity|
  • +2 Issues

Ramirez v. Culley

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada Foundation filed this case to secure the release of two men who are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Henderson Detention Center. Our plaintiffs are medically vulnerable and at risk of severe illness or even death because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Constitution requires that detention facilities ensure the health and safety of the people in their care, but these facilities are unable to implement social distancing and other medical best practices to prevent exposure. The people housed at the Henderson Detention Center have already been exposed to COVID-19. Jail officials confirmed on March 28 that 13 individuals held in ICE detention there have been isolated in individual cells after they were transported by an ICE agent who later began to show symptoms of COVID-19. The only remedy to this constitutional issue is to release our plaintiffs.
Court Case
Oct 02, 2024
Graphic with a red and purple overlay showing a close-up of a marked election ballot with checkboxes and a pen. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “Citizen Outreach Foundation v. Lorena Portillo” in a bold, serif font.
Court Case
Oct 02, 2024
  • Voting Rights

Citizen Outreach Foundation v. Lorena Portillo

Citizen Outreach Foundation seeks to remove over 19,000 registered voters from the Clark County voter rolls ahead of the November 2024 presidential election. The removals are based on National Change of Address (NCOA) data, which they claim shows these individuals are no longer residing at their registered addresses. The ACLU of Nevada (ACLUNV) has filed a motion to intervene in the case, arguing that removing voters based solely on NCOA data violates both federal and state laws, which prevent systemic voter roll maintenance within 90 days of an election. The ACLU also argues that these challenges do not meet the requirements under Nevada law. At least fourteen ACLU members are among the voters being challenged. If the requested relief is granted, thousands of eligible voters could be wrongfully purged from the voter rolls, impairing their right to vote by mail or altogether disenfranchising them just weeks before the election. The organization further asserts that such a decision would set a dangerous precedent, leading to mass, arbitrary voter challenges. ACLUNV seeks to ensure that the voter roll maintenance laws are followed, safeguarding the right to vote for all eligible voters in Clark County.
Explore Case
Court Case
May 03, 2024
Graphic with a reddish-purple overlay featuring documents and a pen, suggesting mail-in ballots or election materials. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, the text reads “RNC v. Aguilar” in a bold, serif font.
Court Case
May 03, 2024
  • Voting Rights

Republican National Committee v. Aguilar

ACLU of Nevada, alongside the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), filed an amicus brief asking the court to dismiss a case challenging Nevada's efforts to maintain its voter rolls. The case, Republican National Committee v. Aguilar, was filed against Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar by The Republican National Committee, the Nevada Republican Party, and a Nevada voter, claiming the state must be violating its obligations under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) because certain misleading metrics show more registered voters than eligible voters in some counties. The amicus brief explains that the lawsuit is based on deeply flawed and misleading metrics that have been pieced together by unreliable and inaccurate measures of voter registration rates and that have been repeatedly rebuked by federal courts. The voter registration numbers they rely on are taken from a single recent snapshot of the state's voter roll but use an outdated census of the citizen voting age population for comparison. Unfortunately, this lawsuit is just one of several cases recently filed across the country with claims under the NVRA and is part of a years-long pattern to bully states into administering voter roll purges beyond what the law requires. Without proper guardrails, when states rush to purge voters, eligible voters, in many cases, are kicked off the rolls and disenfranchised. These lawsuits are based on false information and only erodes the public's trust and integrity in our elections.
Explore Case
Court Case
Mar 27, 2024
Graphic with a dark blue and yellow overlay featuring a statue of Lady Justice in front of a blurred background of legal books. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “Flynn v. Nevada” in a bold, serif font.
Court Case
Mar 27, 2024
  • Smart Justice|
  • +1 Issue

Flynn v. Nevada

Our client is a prisoner at Florence McClure Women's Correctional Facility in Southern Nevada. She was sexually abused by a prison chaplain, Donald Burse, on two separate occasions in August 2020. While Burse was fired after the abuse came to light, and there is a pending criminal case, we are taking on this case because we believe that the Nevada Department of Corrections has not done enough to make sure that such abuse will not happen again in the future.
Explore Case
Court Case
Feb 16, 2024
Graphic with a blue and red overlay featuring a pedestrian bridge over a Las Vegas street. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, the text reads “McAllister v. Clark County” in a bold, serif font.
Court Case
Feb 16, 2024
  • First Amendment

McAllister v. Clark County

We're challenging Clark County's pedestrian flow zone ordinance for its vague language that allows LVMPD to selectively enforce and, in effect, selectively target people. Our client uses a manual wheelchair, and under this ordinance, could be charged with a misdemeanor for stopping to take a break. In January 2024, the Clark County Commission voted to establish pedestrian flow zones on the pedestrian bridges at the Las Vegas Strip and charge people with a misdemeanor for stopping or standing on these bridges.
Explore Case
Court Case
Aug 18, 2020
Graphic with a gold and navy overlay featuring a low-angle view of a courthouse with tall classical columns. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, separated by a vertical white line, the text reads “Semper vs. LVMPD” in a bold, serif font.
Court Case
Aug 18, 2020
  • People Impacted by Discrimination|
  • +1 Issue

Semper, et al. vs. LVMPD

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed this case on behalf of eleven individuals whose constitutional rights were violated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Rio Hotel. On August 19, 2018, our plaintiffs were having a birthday celebration at the Rio Hotel. Each of the 34 guests in attendance that evening is Black. LVMPD, aided by Rio staff, stormed in with no warrant and no reason to believe that any crime was being committed. Despite having no reasonable suspicion, LVMPD officers handcuffed and searched every single guest in attendance. Each guest was made to sit in the hallway of the Rio handcuffed with no access to food, water, or restroom facilities for up to 6 hours. LVMPD alleged that the birthday party was a “gang party,” but no guest was arrested for any criminal gang activity. We’re suing to end LVMPD’s racially discriminatory practice of indiscriminately and unlawfully detaining and searching individuals in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.
Explore Case
Court Case
Mar 31, 2020
Graphic with a red overlay showing a clipboard, a pen, and a stethoscope laid over a medical form. On the left is the white ACLU of Nevada logo. On the right, the text reads “Ramirez v. Culley” in a bold, serif font.
Court Case
Mar 31, 2020
  • Health Equity|
  • +2 Issues

Ramirez v. Culley

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada Foundation filed this case to secure the release of two men who are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Henderson Detention Center. Our plaintiffs are medically vulnerable and at risk of severe illness or even death because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Constitution requires that detention facilities ensure the health and safety of the people in their care, but these facilities are unable to implement social distancing and other medical best practices to prevent exposure. The people housed at the Henderson Detention Center have already been exposed to COVID-19. Jail officials confirmed on March 28 that 13 individuals held in ICE detention there have been isolated in individual cells after they were transported by an ICE agent who later began to show symptoms of COVID-19. The only remedy to this constitutional issue is to release our plaintiffs.
Explore Case

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