Fall 2008 FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES [DLRP-02 & DLRP-13]
NOTICE TO RECENT LAW-SCHOOL GRADUATES AND THIRD-YEAR LAW STUDENTS
American Civil Liberties Union
Drug Law Reform Project, Santa Cruz, California

OVERVIEW:
America’s foremost advocate of civil rights, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1920. With national offices in New York and Washington and 53 affiliates throughout the country, the ACLU is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier public interest law firms.

Founded in 1998, the Drug Law Reform Project is a division of the national legal department of the ACLU. Our goal is to end punitive drug policies that cause the widespread violation of constitutional and human rights, as well as unprecedented levels of incarceration.

The Project plays a unique role as the only national litigation program addressing the broad range of civil rights and civil liberties violations arising from America’s drug policies. We have two programs that focus on central aspects of the war on drugs: (1) racial disparities in drug enforcement and incarceration, and (2) punishment of non-violent marijuana users. The Project also works on other areas of drug policy that inflict serious harms on individuals and communities.

The Project brings “impact” lawsuits throughout the country. We are currently litigating constitutional and statutory claims in federal courts, state courts, and administrative agencies concerning the following issues, among others:

• The City of Seattle’s selective enforcement of drug laws against African-Americans;
• The U.S. Department of Education’s refusal to distribute college loans to students with a drug conviction;
• The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s obstruction of FDA-approved medical marijuana research;
• The City of Santa Barbara’s lawsuit against a proponent of an initiative that makes marijuana the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority;
• The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s sentencing disparities for individuals convicted of possessing crack and powder cocaine;
• California’s refusal to grant parole to certain prisoners based on their having used controlled substances prior to their incarceration;
• The Alaska legislature’s disregard of State Supreme Court precedent protecting Alaskans’ fundamental privacy rights by enacting a statute that allows law enforcement officers to enter homes based on suspicion of possessing small amounts of marijuana; and
• San Diego County’s refusal to implement California’s statutory scheme for allowing patients’ access to medical marijuana upon a doctor’s recommendation.

Project attorneys have argued cases in the United States Supreme Court, numerous courts of appeals, and trial courts throughout the country. For more information, please visit our web site at www.aclu.org/drugpolicy.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Project’s Fellows will assist in all aspects of the Project’s litigation. The work can include the full panoply of appellate and district-court litigation, including drafting briefs and motions for litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court, courts of appeals, and trial courts; conducting discovery; participating at oral arguments and hearings; speaking with the press; meeting with clients; preparing expert and percipient witnesses for courtroom testimony; and devising new litigation. The position will require travel.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Applicants should be self-motivated, have a demonstrated commitment to public interest, civil rights, and civil liberties issues, and have excellent research and writing skills. Judicial law clerks, other recent law-school graduates, and third-year law students are welcome to apply.

COMPENSATION:
Salary is based on the ACLU salary scale; salaries begin in the high $50’s. Excellent medical and dental benefits are provided.

HOW TO APPLY:
Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in our work, a current resume, law school transcript, the names and phone numbers of at least two references, and a legal writing sample unedited by others to:

Human Resources
American Civil Liberties Union
Attn: [DLRP-02 & 13/WACLU]
125 Broad Street, 18^th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004

Applications must be submitted no later than October 1, 2007, for the year beginning September 2008.

Please indicate in your cover letter where you found this job posting.

The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.