In re Kowalczyk. In May 2026, the California Supreme Court issued one of the most liberatory decisions in U.S. history, unanimously holding that jailing a person pretrial simply because they can’t pay money bail is unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court also held that the vast majority of people accused of crimes must be released prior to trial under the California Constitution and reaffirmed rigorous procedural protections that the government must follow if it seeks to detain a presumed innocent person.
Litigation
Post Type Description
California Writ Project
Since the landmark Humphrey ruling, our California habeas project has expanded: providing training and partnering, so far, with 17 county public defender and appointed defender offices spanning all 6 of California’s intermediate appellate districts and the California Supreme Court.
Defending Children’s Right to Hug Their Parents in Adams County
E.L. et al. v. Claps et al. Our lawsuit argues that children whose parents are detained at the Adams County Detention Facility have a fundamental right to familial association under the Colorado Constitution — a right to hug their parents. Parents whose children are detained in Adams County are part of the lawsuit as well.
Defending Parents’ Right to Access the Safe Haven Law Without Liability
Amicus Brief: Civil Rights Corps, Movement for Family Power, Center for Constitutional Rights, alongside other civil rights organizations and movement leaders, filed an amicus brief in support of a Baltimore mother whose case involving Maryland’s Safe Haven law is being heard by the Maryland Supreme Court. The case is being litigated by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD).
Challenging the Riverside County Bail Process
Sandoval v. Riverside. In May 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing. Rabbi David Lazar and Reverend Jane Quandt chose to join this lawsuit because they view cash-based jailing as unconscionable. The lawsuit was filed against Riverside County Superior Court, Riverside County, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Challenging probation detainer practices in Allegheny County
Horton v. Rangos. In 2022, we filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of individuals detained at Allegheny County Jail against three Allegheny County judges, as well as other county, jail, and probation department officials.
Challenging pretrial detention practices in Oregon
In partnership with public defenders in Oregon, Civil Rights Corps is challenging Oregon’s longstanding practices of jailing people charged with misdemeanors prior to trial and jailing people charged with other crimes without constitutionally required due process.
Defending the First Amendment Right to Observe Dependency Court in Durham County
Civil Rights Corps v. Walker. In November 2024, Civil Right Corps filed a lawsuit asking the federal court to recognize a First Amendment right to observe dependency court in Durham County, North Carolina. For over 15 months, CRC attorneys and staff attempted to observe proceedings in the Durham County dependency courts, which preside over cases involving allegations of abuse and neglect.
Fighting for Transparency in the Prosecutorial Misconduct Complaint Process in New York
Civil Rights Corps v. LaSalle. In response to the filing of the first Accountability NY complaints in 2021, NYC Corporate Counsel sent a letter to the Grievance Committees claiming that the professors had engaged in “misuse and indeed abuse of the grievance process” that “should not be countenanced.” In November 2021, we filed a federal lawsuit and won a big victory for transparency in June 2022, when the court granted our motion for partial summary judgment.
Holding Judges Accountable in San Mateo County
Civil Rights Corps worked with an amazing group of organizers at Silicon Valley De-Bug and law professor Lara Bazelon on an ethics complaint alleging judicial misconduct in San Mateo County, California. The complaint, citing court transcripts, court watchers’ observations, and local and statewide reports, was filed in August 2024, alleging that multiple judges and judicial […]