Since our nation’s founding, discriminatory policies and laws have created an unequal system in which Black communities have had their civil rights and liberties denied and have been systemically locked out of opportunities in education, housing, employment, and more.

For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

A number of national projects address specific civil liberties issues: AIDS, capital punishment, lesbian and gay rights, immigrants' rights, prisoners' rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, women's rights and workplace rights.

Everyone has basic rights under the U.S. Constitution and civil rights laws. Learn more here about what your rights are, how to exercise them, and what to do when your rights are violated.

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Source: American Civil Liberties Union Project 2025 includes a long list of extreme policy recommendations touching on nearly every aspect of American life, from immigration and abortion rights, to free speech and racial justice.

We work to defend and expand civil rights and liberties – for everyone. Whether we’re arguing in the courts, leading campaigns, advocating in communities, growing our supporter and follower base, building new tech platforms and managing people and budgets, our employees engage in meaningful work that advances our mission.

Civil Rights Groups Respond to Flawed Trial Court Opinion on New York Voting Rights Act

The ACLU has successfully defended civil liberties since its founding in 1920. Listed below are just a handful of the successes we've had during the 20th century, and we are actively working to get more.

Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the fundamental right upon which all our civil liberties rest. The ACLU works to protect and expand Americansʼ freedom to vote.