Also known as: American Civil Liberties Union
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A nonprofit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties and constitutional rights through litigation, advocacy, and public education.
Ava Adebayo received a letter from the ACLU explaining her rights after a workplace discrimination incident and offering free representation. The ACLU pursued her case in federal court, asserting First Amendment protections for its outreach. The court upheld the letter as protected expressive activity rather than prohibited solicitation.
Anita Ali joined the ACLU as a plaintiff challenging a federal statute that criminalized certain online speech. The ACLU argued the law lacked feasible age-verification tools and therefore burdened adult access. The Supreme Court agreed and struck down the provisions as unconstitutional.
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Abigail Alvarez worked with the ACLU to contest provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. The ACLU claimed the restrictions violated its members' rights to engage in political speech and association. The Court addressed the ACLU's arguments in its review of the statute's constitutionality.
Anthony Arnold litigated a gestational surrogacy case in which the ACLU filed an amicus brief addressing substantive due process and privacy claims. The ACLU argued that the genetic parents' rights should prevail under existing constitutional doctrine. The court considered the ACLU's submission while resolving the parentage issues.
Albert Allen contacted the ACLU after facing prosecution under a state sodomy law. The ACLU provided representation and argued that the statute violated substantive due process protections for private consensual conduct. The Supreme Court ultimately invalidated the law.
Adam Anderson collaborated with the ACLU to challenge a city's refusal to display a private group's monument in a public park. The ACLU contended that the city's selective acceptance of monuments constituted viewpoint discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled that the city's choices amounted to government speech.
The ACLU litigates cases and files amicus briefs to protect civil liberties and First Amendment rights. It often represents individuals or challenges government regulations that burden protected speech or association.
The ACLU has challenged statutes that effectively ban adults from accessing protected online material by requiring unavailable age-verification technology. Courts have relied on these challenges to invalidate overbroad restrictions under the First Amendment.
Letters and outreach from the ACLU receive greater First Amendment protection than in-person commercial solicitation because they advance political and civil rights objectives. Outright bans are generally impermissible absent actual deception or overreaching.
…Bill of Rights even though clear and bright lines are often absent in the latter class of disputes. See County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Pittsburgh Chapter , 492 U. S. 573, 630 (1989) (O'Connor, J., concurring in part and concurring in judgment) ("We cannot avoid the obligation to draw lines, often close and…