2024 Annual Report

January 23, 2025

The ACLU of Connecticut is committed to working with our partners, supporters, and community advocates to create a more equitable, democratic, and anti-racist Connecticut in which all persons are treated with dignity in a thriving society.

As we look back on all of our success in 2024, we celebrate the victories we had in the courts, at the Capitol, and within our communities. These victories, each building upon the other, showcase the power of our integrated advocacy approach, leveraging litigation, lobbying, and education to forge lasting change.

Together, with supporters like you, we will continue to defend and advance the civil rights and liberties of all people in Connecticut.

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Defending Democracy During the 2024 Election:

This election cycle was unprecedented, and we are already beginning to feel the effects of the new administration. During this election season, we focused immense efforts on safeguarding democratic practices and securing the vote in Connecticut. This meant registering voters all across the state, ensuring voters made a plan to vote, and educating voters about the “no-excuse” absentee voting ballot referendum.

Our Ben & Jerry's representative, Gus our campaign manager, and David our executive director smile at the camera with a doodle of a crown above their heads and a paper airplane doodle coming from the right of the image to mimic a scrapbook feel.

In November 2024, Connecticut voters passed the “no-excuse” absentee voting ballot referendum to amend the state constitution to expand voting rights. We worked cloesly with partners such as Ben & Jerry's, the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Education Action, the Connecticut Project Action Fund, and others to educate voters about the question on our ballot. Now, the ACLU of Connecticut is working to ensure full implementation through policy guidance, legislative monitoring, and a coalition sign-on letter from voting rights advocacy groups across the state.

Throughout the election cycle, the policy and advocacy team registered voters all across Connecticut, including people held in pretrial detention in prisons who retain their legal voting rights. Working with Full Citizens Coalition and Yale Law Students, our teams were able to engage voters who are currently or formerly incarcerated in the electoral process.

Our senior policy organizer Anderson Curtis, in conjunction with the League of Women Voters of Connecticut and the Secretary of the State’s Office, went to McDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield at the end of September to speak with people who are incarcerated and eligible to vote.

In three bubbles reads the following text: (1) 300+ hours of engagement with voters, (2) Spoke with more than 5,000 voters about making a plan to vote, and (3) 500,000 voters informed via door-knocking, phone banking & events.

Litigation Wins:

The ACLU Foundation of Connecticut legal team dominated in the courts in 2024 with three monumental victories for the people of Connecticut.

In a light blue bubble, there is red trans rights symbol with a dark blue shadow.

Clark v. Quiros – In a case that sits at the nexus of the rights of trans individuals, the right to healthcare, and the rights of incarcerated people, a federal judge ruled that the Department of Correction is now required to report efforts to provide gender-affirming care for Ms. Veronica-May Clark, a transgender woman who is incarcerated in Connecticut and has been seeking gender-affirming care for nearly a decade now.

In a light blue bubble, there is a red sign that has white text reading "COPS AHEAD" with a dark blue shadow.

Friend v. Gasparino – In a case that vindicates our ability to observe, protest, and publicize the activities of police, a federal judge granted an outright victory for our client, Mr. Mike Friend, on almost all of his claims after being arrested for exercising his right to free speech and holding a sign reading “Cops Ahead” to display to passing drivers.

In a light blue bubble, there is a red fist holding the scales of justice with a dark blue shadow.

Beatty v. Lamont – In a first-of-its-kind federal case, the state abandoned its demands that our clients, Theresa Beatty, Natasha Tosado, and Douglas Johnson, each pay tens of thousands of dollars for the time they spent in prison in a case challenging the state’s practice of charging incarcerated people for their imprisonment in “pay-to-stay” laws.

In a light blue bubble, there is a red gavel with a dark blue shadow.

Town of Avon v. Sastre – In a decision to uphold the public’s right to access public information, a state appellate court ruled in favor of our client, Mr. J. R. Sastre, that government agencies cannot evade Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act by simply handing documents off to lawyers.

Other cases on the legal team’s docket include cases such as the following:

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Disability Rights CT v. Department of Correction: protecting incarcerated people against traumatic practice of in-cell shackling, which can worsen mental health conditions
Richardson v. Semple: preserving the public’s access to court filings in civil rights cases
Mustafa v. Byars: securing the immediate disclosure of judicial documents in civil rights cases

Highlights from Legislative Session:

In a short 14 week session, the ACLU of Connecticut used every pathway to power in order to achieve results that many thought impossible.

At the end of the General Assembly’s 2024 session, the ACLU of Connecticut:

Logged more than 3,000 lobbying hours in the Capitol
Provided dozens of testimonies to legislative committees
Spent nearly 65 days of the 91 day session in the building discussing our priorities with legislators at every opportunity.

the staff of the ACLU of CT is standing and smiling at the camera. In the top right corner are two hand drawn stars in red and dark blue, and in the left corner is a red hand drawn airplane like a scrapbook.

Promoting Driving Equity – Connecticut police are pulling over drivers for “secondary stops,” which are administrative and equipment issues that could easily be ticketed by alternative means. During the 2024 session, the ACLU of Connecticut teamed up with the Center for Policing Equity to advance H.B. 5324, an Act Establishing Secondary Violations, to increase driving equity in Connecticut.
Creating Safe & Accessible Housing Opportunities – Housing is a basic human right – and we want the Connecticut legislature to understand that we are all safer, stronger, and better as a community when every person has access to affordable housing. To do so, we worked with Smart Justice Leaders and community partners to advocate for H.B. 5242, an Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records on Housing Opportunities, a bill dedicated to providing people with a fair chance at housing so that they can grow and thrive within their communities.
Expanding Paid Sick Days – The ACLU of Connecticut was incredibly proud to work in solidarity with Planned Parenthood Votes! CT, She Leads Justice , and other advocacy groups as we saw a landmark expansion of paid sick days that now covers virtually all workers in our state.
Ensuring Accountability with Police Body Cameras – One of the team's longtime Smart Justice Leaders, Terri Ricks, testified in support of H.B. 5381, an Act Concerning the Use of Police Body-Worn Recording Equipment, a bill the ACLU of Connecticut supported this session.
Ending Cash Bail – In 2024, the legislature proposed a constitutional amendment to examine the cash bail industry, indicating a willingness to explore alternatives. This was a step in the right direction, but the ACLU of Connecticut is working with a coalition as a leader to find alternatives to cash bail.
Ensuring Equity in Artificial Intelligence Policy – AI is an emergent method of interacting with and constructing our world, and civil rights and liberties frameworks must be top of mind to guide governmental use and educate the public. The ACLU of Connecticut has and continues to provide leadership and clarity about building proactive, equitable regulatory AI policies, guardrails, and frameworks as AI grows in our state.

Ways to Support the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut:

Stay Informed and Educated on the issues you care about at www.acluct.org.
Volunteer and Take Action with us and like-minded organizations. Look for our volunteer and action opportunities at www.acluct.org/volunteer.
Stay Connected with the ACLU of Connecticut, amplify our messaging on socials (@acluct), and sign up for our newsletter on our website.
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- Become a Member! Your non-tax-deductible monthly membership contribution supports the ACLU’s lobbying and advocacy work at the national, state, and local levels.
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