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


ACLU of Hawaiʻi Opposes HPD’s Drone As First Responder Program, Calls for Independent Oversight and Civil Liberties Safeguards

ACLU of Hawaiʻi raises concerns about surveillance, facial recognition, and the lack of legislative safeguards for HPD's new drone policing initiative.
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Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.



What it’s Like to Fight for Abortion Rights, Post-Roe

Abortion rights advocates reflect on their activism post-Dobbs, and the role storytelling still plays in the ongoing fight.

A collage of portraits of the five storytellers: Angel Kai, Veronika Granado, Cazembe Jackson, Briana McLennon, and Maleeha Aziz

Trans Students Should Be Treated With Dignity, Not Outed by Their Schools

Children and adults have a constitutional right not to have intimate facts about their lives disclosed without their consent.

A group of rainbow flags arranged among a pile of books.

How the ACLU Tracks Anti-LGBTQ Bills, and How We’re Fighting Back

Keep tabs on state legislative attacks against LGBTQ people with the ACLU's nationwide tracking system.

Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Montana State Capitol protesting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

To Root Out Racism in the Criminal Legal System, We Can’t Fear Too Much Justice

The landmark California Racial Justice Act is allowing our clients to challenge their death penalty prosecutions in Riverside County.

The California State Capitol building.

The Intertwined Future of Attacks on Abortion and Gender-Affirming Care

We’re poised to fight back against state legislative efforts to control our bodies and limit access to essential health care.

New members of Congress being sworn in at the US Capitol on Saturday, January 07, 2023.

The Best Decision: How Abortion Changed These Lives for the Better

Years later, 16 people reflect on how their abortions allowed them to continue their education, build a career, and lay a stronger foundation for becoming a parent at a later time of their choosing.

Abortion rights activists are seen through a hole in an American flag as they protest outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Saturday, June 25, 2022.

ACLU of Hawai‘i Supports Cannabis Legislation

ACLU of Hawaiʻi Statement on Cannabis Reform Bill

Media Advisory Cannabis Legalization SM Post 1-10-23

It’s Simply Too Dangerous to Arm Robots

Here are our guiding principles that communities and policymakers should follow when debating police robots.

Demonstrators, (holding various signs, with the most prominent reading "WE ALL SAW THAT MOVIE ... NO KILLER ROBOTS") protest the use of robots by the San Francisco Police Department outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.

From the Death Penalty to Marijuana, Clemency is a Tool For Justice

Granting clemency to broad categories of people is a first step toward correcting injustice in our criminal legal system.

Demonstrators, holding a sign reading "STOP THE DEATH PENALTY", stand on the steps of the State Capitol in Atlanta.