Blog & Press Releases
The CLDC is on the Road Again!
During the first week of June, Lauren Regan, the CLDC’s Executive Director & Senior Attorney, will be headed to so-called Idaho and Montana—Turtle Island lands that are the home of the Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kootenai, Little...
Washington Court of Appeals Upholds Right to Present Necessity Defense in Climate Case
BREAKING NEWS April 8, 2019 Today the Washington Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the conviction of climate activist Ken Ward and sent his case back to the lower court for a third trial because Ward was denied his Sixth Amendment right to present the necessity...
Supreme Court Decision Impacts Immigrant Community
By: CLDC Staff Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld yet another draconian interpretation of federal immigration law. In the case, Nielsen v. Preap, the question before the court was whether 8 U.S.C. § 1226(c) requires the Department of Homeland Security to take...
We Stand with Weed, California
CLDC is supporting Water for Citizens of Weed, CA (WCWC) as they file a complaint in February to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) about the actions of Roseburg Forest Products (RFP) in an attempt to end an ongoing lawsuit and maintain their primary water source,...
CLDC PIELC Panels and Party 2019!!
Hello all! PIELC (Public Interest Environmental Law Conference) is fast approaching in Eugene, and we want to update with you on ways that you can learn with us AND party with us this year. This week is a great celebration of the intersections of law and the movement...
EPD Denies Community Member First Amendment Rights
Wednesday night (2/13), members of the Eugene Police Department arrested Eric Jackson at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza for misdemeanor Criminal Trespass II. Mr. Jackson was engaged in an ongoing protest against local law enforcement’s treatment of houseless...
Announcing Spring Online Course: Train the Trainer in Know Your Rights for the Undocumented Community (Bilingual)
CLDC is excited to announce our Spring 2019 online course! WHAT: We are offering a Spring 2019 Online Course: Bilingual Train the Trainer in Know Your Rights for the Undocumented Community in Oregon. This training is 7 weeks long. ***Update: We have changed the...
“Weed Nazi” Denied Access to Anonymous Antifascist Website
Update January 28th, 2019 “Weed Nazi” voluntarily dismisses lawsuit against anonymous antifascists. Bethany Sherman voluntarily dismissed her frivolous lawsuit against anonymous antifascists that exposed her and her boyfriend’s ties to neo-Nazi/white-supremacism. The...
Landeros Family will Pursue Independent Investigation
Thursday, Lane County District Attorney, Patty Perlow, issued a statement regarding the death of Charles F. Landeros.[1] The DA’s office found the shooting “legally justified as self-defense and defense of others.” The statement notes that Charlie was asked to come to...
In Memoriam: Charles (Charlie) Landeros, 1988-January 11, 2019
“Do not let anyone quench your fire. Do not let them dismiss your love nor pacify your rage. My love, do not water yourself down.” – Love and Rage, poem by Charlie Landeros. #LoveAndRage4Charlie Charles (Charlie) Landeros was a 30-year-old person who was shot and...
Solidarity with Unist’ot’en – Legal Primer for Crossing the Canadian Border
The Wet'suwet'en people living on their traditional territory at the Unist'ot'en Camp have put out a call asking for people to come live with them, to help protect their land from the TransCanada Coastal Gaslink pipeline. TransCanada is threatening escalation on the...
Sophia Wilansky Files Federal Lawsuit Against Vicious North Dakota Police
On November 19, 2018, Williams & Connolly, LLP and the Civil Liberties Defense Center filed a civil rights action in the U.S. District Court of North Dakota against Morton County, ND and other law enforcement agents on behalf of Sophia Wilansky, a water protector...
CLDC Argues Against White Supremacist Who Wants to Unmask Antifa Members
Last week in San Francisco, Attorney Cooper Brinson of the CLDC, along with co-counsel James Wheaton of the First Amendment Project, argued that a subpoena issued by OG Analytical (a cannabis testing company based in Eugene, Oregon) and Bethany Sherman (CEO of OG...
Necessity Defense May Have Another Chance in Court in Skagit County
Ken Ward's Appeal Hearing On Monday we had our appeal hearing in front of the Washington Court of Appeals on behalf of Valve Turner Ken Ward, who turned off a Kinder Morgan tar sands pipeline in Skagit County two years ago. We appealed the judge’s decision to deny our...
Digital Security Checklist for Political Activists!
Looking to make some quick security upgrades? Make strong passwords (at least one to protect your computer or password manager) and browse our lists of recommendations! Tap here for a brief checklist to make a strong password! -- and here is our strong password...
Fighting Back Against SLAPP Suits
Current SLAPP Suits: Resolute Forest Products and Kasowitz Law Firm SLAPP Stand.earth and other Environmental Organizations On May 31, 2016 Resolute Forest Products filed a $300 million (CAD – Canadian dollars) lawsuit in the United States District Court for the...
Become a CLDC Law Clerk this Spring or Summer!
Hello CLDC network, Please pass around to your networks: We are currently accepting spring law applications for the 2019 Spring term. Also, we will begin accepting summer law clerk positions as of Nov. 1st. Applications must be in by March 15th! Our summer law clerk...
CLDC Defends Antifascists Against Frivolous SLAPP Suit
The Civil Liberties Defense Center, with co-counsel from the San Francisco-based First Amendment Project, are defending anonymous individuals sued by former Eugene resident, Bethany Sherman and her defunct Cannabis testing company, OG Analytical. The lawsuit, filed by...
Victory for Valve Turners in Minnesota!
We are pleased to announce a victory in our Minnesota Valve Turner case! This trial was a rollercoaster with many twists and turns, but all three defendants were acquitted of their charges this morning in court. They were acquitted, not on the necessity defense, but...
Minnesota Valve Turner Trial Recap Interview
Watch Lauren Regan's interview recapping the victory in the Minnesota Valve Turner trial. Read more about the victory here.
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