News & Commentary

ACLU of Hawaiʻi attorney Leilani Stacy has filed several winning habeas petitions. (Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026)

Locked Up Too Long? Legal Tactic Challenges Hawaiʻi ICE Detentions

Joaquin David Rico-Tapia had been held at Honolulu’s Federal Detention Center for six weeks when his attorney filed a special petition last September arguing he had been illegally detained as his deportation case went forward.

Latest Press Release

Aug 12, 2026

ACLU of Hawaiʻi Welcomes New Community Field and Marianita Lopez Executive Fellows

ACLU of Hawaiʻi welcomes two new fellows bringing fresh perspectives and experience to advance civil rights, community advocacy, and organizing across the islands.
CT ZJ

More from the Press

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Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.

May 02, 2023

The Sneaky Way the Police Could Abuse Their Power to Restrict Free Speech

The Supreme Court needs to hear a case out of Texas in order to protect people arrested for exercising their constitutional right to free expression and protest.

Businessman in handcuffs
May 02, 2023

State Supreme Courts Offer the Best Chance to Advance Rights

Through litigation and engagement strategies, we’re turning to the states to protect our liberties where federal courts have failed.

A map of the United States with a gavel on it.
May 02, 2023

911: Reimagining a System that Defaults to Dispatching Police

Emergency response systems must be revamped to equip 911 call-takers to dispatch non-police first responders.

911 digits on a mobile screen.
Apr 26, 2023

National Crisis in Policing Awaits United Nations Delegation

U.N. experts must produce an objective roadmap of recommendations that will radically reform law enforcement.

The United Nations Human Rights Council during a meeting at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Apr 25, 2023

Emergency Proclamations set a dangerous precedent, systemic change is needed to address houselessness.

ACLU of Hawaiʻi Statement on the Governor's Emergency Proclamation on Homelessness

Emergency Homeless Proclamation
Apr 21, 2023

Access to Housing is the Civil Rights Issue of our Time (Again)

The housing crisis is both the cause and effect of systemic civil rights deprivations.

An aerial view of a neighborhood filled with houses.
Apr 14, 2023

RuPaul’s Drag Race Finale Highlights ACLU’s Defense of Trans Rights

The ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund aims to educate and activate supporters and push back against restrictive anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Drag queen Sasha Colby.
Apr 14, 2023

We're Challenging the Racist Practice That Excludes Black Jurors from Death Penalty Cases

Death qualification goes hand in hand with mass incarceration and the racial bias embedded in our criminal legal system.

An empty jury box with leather and wood chairs.
Apr 12, 2023

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: How We Got Here

Forty-five years after the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the PWFA is a long overdue corrective for pregnant workers.

A pregnant worker using an office phone while typing on a keyboard.