News & Commentary

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced so many people out of their jobs, more than 40 percent of West Virginians already had a debt that was in collections. Most of those debts were due to medical expenses.

A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Cannabis Reform Details Millions of Racially Targeted Cannabis Arrests Made Between 2010-2018

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has informed the City of Wheeling it may file a lawsuit and seek an injunction to prevent the city from moving forward with tearing down the dwellings of community members who are experiencing homelessness.

We are troubled by reports that Wheeling officials have destroyed an encampment where community members experiencing homelessness were living. This action would be wrong under normal circumstances, but is particularly dangerous public policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are entering a nightmare scenario.

ACLU-WV is seeking to intervene in an ongoing federal civil case to request that the state’s COVID-19 response plan for jails and prisons, currently held under seal, be made public.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to secure release or reduced bond for 39 incarcerated West Virginians amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

UPDATE: the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has issued an order extending its stop to all civil actions that do not qualify as emergencies through May 1. Evictions are not emergencies under the Court’s definition. If you have a court date scheduled for an unlawful detainer hearing, call the court to see if it has been canceled and then email us if it has not at [email protected].

ACLU-WV Policy Director Eli Baumwell discusses changes to voting during the COVDI-19 pandemic in an editorial in the Charleston Gazette-Mail