New York Civil Liberties Union

"At my high school, and more than 150 other schools across New York City, students are being digitally tracked when they go to the bathroom, visit a counselor, or leave the classroom for pretty much any reason," writes Maria Mendes, youth activist with the NYCLU Teen Activist Project.

"I know technology can be useful for lots of things. But hall passes just aren’t one of them. New York City should spend its money on things that actually help us learn instead of wasting it on a creepy device that tracks us in the bathroom.

SmartPass Hall Passes Are Tracking Me When I Use the Bathroom at School New York City is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on SmartPass digital hall passes that keep track of how long students like me are in the bathroom. It makes me feel controlled and it makes it seem like my teachers and the other adults in my school don’t trust me.

It's officially Pride Month 🤩 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ 🪩 ❗️⁠
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Stock up now for everything June has to offer at the NYCLU store - and don't forget to use code PRIDE 20 at checkout for 20% off! Get to shopping at shop.nyclu.org

Drug testing pregnant patients is a form of medical racism. Contrary to racist myths perpetuated by the War on Drugs, drug testing pregnant people is not medically beneficial or recommended - and can cause extreme harm.⁠
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With this landmark decision, Albany must now pass legislation so that no drug test can take place without a pregnant person’s informed consent.

In case you missed it: Lawmakers *finally* passed the FY27 state budget late Wednesday night.⁠
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Here's where we landed with some of New Yorkers' top priorities ➡️

Too many families in New York find themselves in an impossible situation: They can't afford to leave their job and forfeit their wages, but they also can't afford to pay for the child care that allows them to go to work.⁠
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This is why we're fighting for universal child care: because all of us deserve access to child care regardless of employment, income, disability, geography, or immigration status.

Last week, the NYCLU and our partners secured a court ruling temporarily blocking courthouse arrests. This means that immigrants can now attend their mandatory, routine court appointments without fear that ICE will tear them from their families and communities.

Our courts should be sites of justice - not terror.

Trump’s Courthouse Arrest Policy Stayed by Court It began soon after Trump took office in January of 2025. People showing up for their routine, mandatory check-ins at 26 Federal Plaza and other Manhattan immigration courts began to disappear. Newly emboldened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents lurked in courtrooms and hallways with t...

This attempt to trade away New Yorkers’ rights is needless and reflects the worst kind of governance.

As this new anti-speech law is enforced, we’ll be keeping a close watch to ensure New Yorkers’ rights are upheld and protected.