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National ACLU

American Civil Liberties Union

a. Founded in 1920 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that is financially dependent on membership dues and donations.

b. ACLU has its national headquarters is in New York City and a legislative office in Washington D.C. There are 53 affiliates across the country, which focus on issues and cases specific arising in each state.

c. The organization has three major components:

i. The first is litigation. The ACLU Foundation is the country’s largest public interest law firm. ACLU lawyers are involved in court cases involving issues of constitutional rights. Volunteer attorneys make up the majority of the ACLU legal teams across the country.

ii. The second is legislation. The ACLU monitors the actions of federal and state lawmakers to make sure our laws are in line with the U.S. constitution. The ACLU lobbies our lawmakers to make sure civil liberty protections are included in the bills they propose and vote on.

iii. The third is education. Through informative programs and media communications, the ACLU aims to raise the public’s awareness about civil liberty issues and individual rights. The ACLU also equips citizens with the tools to be informed civic participants.

d. The mission of the ACLU is to preserve and protect our nation’s most fundamental principles—the individual freedoms guaranteed to every person in the United States by our Bill of Rights

Visit ACLU’s national site

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