Welcome to the May issue of The Brief, the monthly email newsletter of the ACLU of Northern California. If you're a registered voter, by now you should have received your mail ballot for the Tuesday, June 2 primary election. Before Election Day, you can mail your ballot, deposit it in a secure drop-box, or take it to your county elections office. If you mail your ballot on Election Day, make sure you get a hand-stamped postmark at the post office. Check out our voting rights guide for more information and make your voice heard!

Protecting voters' personal information

On Tuesday, May 19, we will ask the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a ruling dismissing a Department of Justice lawsuit that sought to force California to hand over voters' personal information, including addresses, dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers. The League of Women Voters of California – represented by the national ACLU and the ACLU Foundations of Northern and Southern California – intervened in United States v. Weber to protect voters' privacy and safeguard the integrity of our elections. The Trump administration's push to confiscate the full voter registration lists from 30 states is part of a coordinated campaign to tamper with the midterm elections. Voters should never have to choose between their privacy and their fundamental right to vote.

Video: Will SCOTUS let Trump end Temporary Protected Status?

The U.S. Supreme Court soon will decide a case that could determine the fate of the federal humanitarian program that allows 1.3 million people from 17 countries to live and work legally in the United States. Listen to a post-hearing conversation with ACLU attorneys who discuss what happened during the hearing and what may be next. Learn more on YouTube.

Canadian sues U.S. to keep his data private

The ACLUs of DC and Northern California represent a Canadian citizen who sued the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent the federal government from unlawfully obtaining his name, location, and detailed records of his online activity from Google. The plaintiff, a frequent social media critic of Trump and his policies, has asked the court to rule that DHS exceeded its authority in issuing an administrative demand for his personal information. This is the department's latest attempt to identify and silence individuals who express opinions the government doesn't like. In three similar cases, DHS withdrew subpoenas to tech companies after the ACLU sued. This time the administration is trying to circumvent the courts by citing a customs enforcement law. We've asked the court to make clear this gambit won't work.

California Supreme Court limits cash bail

In a victory for equal justice, the California Supreme Court ruled that courts must consider the ability to pay when setting bail. We filed a brief supporting the plaintiff because it's still common for judges to set artificially high bail for people charged with misdemeanors. The ruling stems from a case of a man held on $75,000 bail for allegedly trying to buy a cheeseburger with someone else's credit card. The high court's decision means judges must give affordable bail to people who are eligible for release while awaiting trial unless they are charged with serious felonies and pose a threat of violence if released. California courts can no longer keep people locked up just because they're poor.

The high cost of free speech

We're suing Contra Costa County on behalf of a retired schoolteacher who had to pay a $4,300 fine for posting signs protesting the war in Gaza around his home. While the county said he violated provisions of an ordinance that bans most signs on residential property, the First Amendment unequivocally protects that right.