Blog & Press Releases
Election Day is Tomorrow: Know Your Rights Before You Vote
Keep your eyes open and your actions quick at your polling location. We have all sat and waited a long time for tomorrow. Whether it be local, statewide, or federal issues, there are plenty of reasons to cast a ballot, activate others, participate in demonstrations,...
Defending Activists in Minneapolis and Texas, Fighting a Reddit Subpoena, and Winning a SLAPP Suit Dismissal in New Jersey
Lauren Regan heads to court in Minneapolis this week to represent the Minnesota 15. In Texas, our client in the Prairieland case faces a mandatory 15 years in prison for allegedly deleting Signal messages or users. We’re fighting to keep the government from unmasking an anonymous Reddit user who spoke out against ICE, and in New Jersey, we won dismissal of claims against American Muslims for Palestine–NJ over its promotion of a protest.
From the FACE Act to Illegal Surveillance: The Federal Prosecution of the Righteous 39 and the MN 15
The Trump administration is weaponizing federal law to criminalize anti-ICE protesters. In Minnesota, 39 activists face federal prosecution as government investigators stand accused of illegally using customs summonses to circumvent constitutional protections. CLDC is fighting back, exposing government surveillance abuses and challenging the expansion of the FACE Act to silence political dissent.
Pushing Back on the Bureau of Prisons: Fighting for Liberty from Behind Bars
Behind the walls of America's prisons are jailhouse lawyers, like myself, seeking emancipation. Equipped with passion, time and skill we trace the cracks within archaic and “modern” law to force open bondage holding us from the many possibilities of life. Jailhouse...
We Refused to Be Silent. We Refused to Back Down. And We Won.
We Refused to Be Silent. We Refused to Back Down. And We Won. By the Plaintiffs in Black Unity v. City of Springfield We Marched Because Silence Was Never an Option Five years ago, we took to the streets because silence was not an option. On May 25, 2020,...
The Day I Learned Constitutional Rights Only Matter If We Defend Them
The Day I Learned Constitutional Rights Only Matter If We Defend Them By: Adam Gilliam, CLDC client There are moments in life that divide everything into "before" and "after." March 25, 2023, became one of those days for me. That morning, I drove to Coburg,...
Get To Know CLDC’s Law Clerks
Get To Know CLDC’s Law Clerks CLDC's law clerk program offers aspiring public interest attorneys an opportunity to work alongside experienced civil liberties advocates on cutting-edge litigation and advocacy. Law clerks contribute meaningful legal research, draft...
Historic Settlement Delivers Major Victory Against Police for Attack on Racial Justice Activists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Historic Settlement Delivers Major Victory Against Police for Attack on Racial Justice Activists Civil Rights Settlement Sends Powerful Warning: Violating Constitutional Rights Has Serious Consequences Eugene, OR --- After nearly...
Supreme Court Term Cases that Impact Activists
Supreme Court Term Cases that Impact Activists The Supreme Court’s most recent term delivered many striking opinions.[1] With a total of 68 opinions handed down since October, [2] it can be overwhelming to keep track of how the legal landscape is shifting (and...
What Happens When the Government Doesn’t Like Your Posts?
What Happens When the Government Doesn’t Like Your Posts? Consider the following hypothetical. It’s January 2026 and you are in a very long line. No big deal, you’re a pro. You grab your phone and settle in for a lengthy scroll-and-wait. You “like” a few posts,...
Civil Liberties Defense Center Secures Restoration of Eugene’s Federal Free Speech Plaza
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Civil Liberties Defense Center Secures Restoration of Eugene's Federal Free Speech Plaza Eugene, OR – In compliance with a federal court order, the federal government removed a fence it had recently erected around Eugene's longstanding...
Growing Stronger So We Can Keep Fighting Back
Growing Stronger So We Can Keep Fighting Back Doom scrolling got you down? We feel it too. It’s hard not to notice headlines covering the horrendous Prairielands ruling, where activists are facing 30 to 100 years in federal prison for protesting a concentration...
Civil Liberties Defense Center Announces Resounding Win in Federal Free Speech Plaza Lawsuit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Civil Liberties Defense Center Announces Resounding Win in Federal Free Speech Plaza Lawsuit Eugene, OR – Today, in a resounding win for the First Amendment, the federal district court ordered the federal government to take down the fence...
Reconstruction to Modern Streets: The Black Unity Victory and the True Meaning of Juneteenth
Reconstruction to Modern Streets: The Black Unity Victory and the True Meaning of Juneteenth By: CLDC Staff As we approach Juneteenth—a holiday honoring the ongoing struggle toward Black liberation and the realization of civil rights—we are reflecting on a major...
CLDC Responds to Federal Court Decision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Civil Liberties Defense Center Responds to Federal Court Decision Allowing Grand Jury to Subpoena Reddit User’s Personal Information Washington, D.C. – Late last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied...
How States May Utilize Domestic Terrorism Statutes to Prosecute Activists
How States May Utilize Domestic Terrorism Statutes to Prosecute Activists By: CLDC Law Clerk On September 25, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7) titled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political...
PRESS RELEASE: CLDC Files Injunction Lawsuit against Federal Buildings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Civil Liberties Defense Center Files Injunction Lawsuit against Federal Buildings Caption: Lauren Regan speaks at the Eugene press conference on Tuesday, June 9 Eugene, OR – The Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) has filed a civil...
The Origins of the International Day in Solidarity With Earth Liberation & Anarchist Prisoners
The Origins of the International Day in Solidarity With Earth Liberation & Anarchist Prisoners By Jeff (Free) Luers* “I am not a martyr and I am not a hero. I don’t fit some perfect archetype, and I can’t live up to any ideal of what so many people think I...
Celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ Badassery
Writing about Pride Month in 2026 is a real mixed bag. On the one hand, the fascists are at the gate, our civil liberties are crumbling beneath our feet, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are, once again, the cultural scapegoats for the religious-extremist right wing. That’s bad,...
The Supreme Court Is Rewriting Historic Rules of American Democracy
The Supreme Court Is Rewriting Historic Rules of American Democracy The most dangerous threats to civil liberties are often the least visible. They arrive dressed as legal reasoning. They speak in the language of standards and tests. They present themselves as...