Homelessness is primarily caused by unaffordable housing, not addiction or mental illness, and is exacerbated by a lack of safety nets and the collapse of low-cost rentals.
The ACLU of Northern California successfully challenged a DHS subpoena seeking to unmask anonymous Instagram users who posted videos of ICE raids in Los Angeles, protecting the First Amendment rights of those documenting law enforcement activity in public.
A coalition of civil rights organizations has filed a federal class action lawsuit alleging the Missouri Department of Mental Health is illegally leaving people with serious mental illness to deteriorate in jail without court-ordered treatment.
A new report on Jefferson County’s fines and fees system argues that U.S. courts’ reliance on monetary sanctions is ineffective at generating revenue and disproportionately harmful to Black and low-income residents, prompting action from Jefferson County officials and the creation of a statewide task force to review fines and fees policies.
Florida is moving forward with the execution of Mark Gerald on Dec. 5, 2025, despite major concerns about missing evidence, inadequate defense, and unaddressed mental health issues, highlighting the need for more thorough forensic analysis and investigation in capital punishment cases.
The Vanguard covers housing because it is the root of many of the community’s biggest challenges, such as education, equity, public health, economic inclusion, aging in place, sustainability, transportation, and criminal justice.
The dismissal of charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James highlights the need for lawful, fair, and unbiased legal processes, as the case was deemed to lack merit and was advanced through an unlawful appointment.
The ACLU has filed a FOIA request to uncover how the DHS is attempting to suppress the First Amendment right to record their agents, and how widespread the retaliatory pattern is.
The City of Davis has approved a two-year extension to Recology’s solid waste collection franchise, resulting in a 15% rate increase in 2026 and a maximum annual increase of 6.5% from 2026 through 2029, despite the fact that Davis’ rates are higher than those of surrounding communities.
San Francisco’s Public Defender’s Office is operating in the “red zone” due to an overextended workload, and Chief Assistant Public Defender Hadi Razzaq argues that the system cannot continue to accept new felony cases without abandoning existing clients or violating the Constitution.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom have joined a coalition of states suing the Trump administration over new restrictions placed on federal homelessness grants, arguing the policy is unlawful and will push tens of thousands of people back into homelessness.
Family separations are occurring across the US due to ICE enforcement, resulting in hundreds of immigrant children being placed in government shelters and parents being deported or left with the choice of leaving their children in the care of another safe adult.
Over 100 clergy members gathered in Broadview, Illinois to protest the closure of the ICE processing facility, the release of detainees, and the allowance of spiritual care for detainees, but were met with violence from ICE and Illinois State Police during their arrest.
Robert Roberson, who was convicted in 2003 of shaking his 2-year-old daughter to death, may have a chance to retry his case after the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that shaken baby syndrome testimony is inadmissible in trials due to lack of scientific evidence.
Voter frustration is growing due to the disconnect between official economic indicators and lived experience, with many Americans feeling poorer and unable to afford basic necessities, as argued by writer Corbin Trent in his essay “It Works, If You Work It”.
Community leaders, advocates, elected officials, and impacted women gathered outside the San Francisco County Jail to demand accountability for deputies who ordered women in custody to strip in front of male deputies, violating constitutional protections, state law, and basic human dignity.
Asian-adjacent films like Jackie Chan’s, Good Fortune and Rental Family remind us of the distinction between illusion and reality, and how convincing illusions can be.
The US Border Patrol has built a nationwide dragnet driver-surveillance system that uses AI and mass surveillance to target innocent drivers, interrogate, search, and seize their property without proof of wrongdoing.
The U.S. Supreme Court has extended the date of review on President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship to Dec. 5, 2025, with multiple federal lawsuits having temporarily blocked the order from being enforced.
A single father convicted in a DUI case in Newport Beach, CA, asked for more time to complete his court-mandated community service and alcohol education program, citing difficulty balancing work and childcare responsibilities.