Center for Constitutional Rights

Civil rights attorneys allege that University Medical Center New Orleans (UMC) violated the city’s “ban the box” law by firing employee Devon Jones following a conviction for armed robbery. The legal team argues that the termination was based solely on his criminal background and that his past experience bears no relation to his job duties as a violence interrupter. They further requested that the city conduct a full investigation of the employment action.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, filed a lawsuit against senior Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, alleging a conspiracy to terrorize and intimidate Palestinian rights advocates. The lawsuit, brought under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, claims coordination between private groups and officials to persecute activists through fear campaigns.

Mahmoud Khalil sued Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups, including Canary Mission and Heritage Foundation, under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, alleging conspiracy to persecute Palestinian activists. Khalil, a green card holder, was detained for 104 days in 2025 despite being married to an American citizen.

Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir canceled his trip to New York for the Chiefs of Police Summit due to planned demonstrations and calls for his prosecution by human rights groups. The Hind Rajab Foundation and Center for Constitutional Rights urged New York’s attorney general to investigate Ben-Gvir over alleged abuses, including torture and mistreatment of Palestinians.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and the Center for Constitutional Rights urged New York state attorney general Letitia James to investigate Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for alleged atrocities ahead of his Manhattan visit. They also called for James to meet with victims, including a Palestinian American and participants in the Global Sumud Flotillas, and to establish a task force for accountability against Israeli officials.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and the Center for Constitutional Rights urged New York state attorney general Letitia James to investigate Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over alleged crimes, including incitement to genocide and distributing weapons to settlers. Ben-Gvir is scheduled to attend a United Nations conference in Manhattan, prompting calls for a task force to address accountability for Israeli officials' actions.

The Trump-era Department of Justice claims presidential communications privilege to block disclosure of an Office of Legal Counsel memo about drone strikes on suspected drug cartel boats. The ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights filed a FOIA request seeking the memo, arguing it concerns military authority for lethal strikes, while the DOJ asserts the document contains sensitive, classified information. The case hinges on whether the memo's legal guidance remains protected by privilege or has become public policy.

The U.S. State Department is pressuring the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to abandon an investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings by U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific. The IACHR held a historic hearing on the legality of these attacks, with U.S. critics arguing the strikes violate international law, while the State Department rejects the commission's review.