2016 Impact Report

In 2016, the ACLU of Nevada celebrated 50 years of standing up for the people of Nevada, and defending their civil liberties and civil rights.

This impact report covers the 2015-2016 fiscal year and we are proud to report the progress we have made not only for this fiscal year, but also to mark the many achievements of the last 50 years.

Late in the summer of 2015, we filed a lawsuit to stop the State's new voucher law on the grounds that it violates Nevada's definition of church and state separation, it is unconstitutional, and it would funnel taxpayer money to private institutions, religious and otherwise, that discriminate against students and staff. The recent decision from the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed the unconstitutionality of voucher mfunding and we remain steadfast in our position that no public money should ever be spent for religious indoctrination or for state-sanctioned discrimination.

Over the last fiscal year, the staff at the ACLU of Nevada has contracted and grown again to meet the demands of the work that we do and the environment in which we operate. We now have a policy director and an outreach coordinator affecting change in public policy across the state through our outreach and advocacy campaigns and initiatives. The policy department is looking ahead and planning for the 2017 session of the Nevada Legislature; we will call on every member and supporter of the ACLU of Nevada.

Only together can we effectively defend our civil rights and expand our liberties.

The legal team is currently researching opportunities to defend the right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment, scrutinizing the health care and treatment of the incarcerated, and ensuring Nevada complies with the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, also known as the Motor Voter law. We were fortunate to host legal interns this summer from Boyd, Harvard, and Columbia law schools and their work contributed immensely to the work of the legal department.

READ THE FULL REPORT