The 2010s
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2012
ACLU Calls on Obama Administration: “Yes, You Can”
After President Barack Obama was reelected in 2012, the ACLU published an ad calling on him to fulfill his remaining campaign promises regarding essential rights and liberties.
2013
ACLU’s 2013 Annual Report
2013 was a historic year, with landmark ACLU victories including the defeat of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA); the ban on solitary confinement of prisoners in Illinois and Mississippi; and the end of an unconstitutional racial profiling program in Arizona. Nothing better captures the joy of these victories than this image of ACLU plaintiff Edie Windsor triumphantly raising her arms outside the Supreme Court after oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, the case that overturned DOMA.
Face of the Voting Rights Project: Laughlin McDonald
In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court struck down the coverage formula used to determine which states and localities were subject to the preclearance requirement of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Importantly, the decision did not strike down Section 5 itself, leaving Congress to devise a new coverage formula. The ACLU intervened in the case on behalf of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP and several residents of Shelby County whose voting rights were directly impacted by the county’s challenge. Laughlin McDonald, pictured here, was director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project and counsel of record in the 2013 case.
ACLU Defends Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder
In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court struck down the coverage formula used to determine which states and localities were subject to the preclearance requirement of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Importantly, the decision did not strike down Section 5 itself, leaving Congress to devise a new coverage formula. The ACLU intervened in the case on behalf of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP and several residents of Shelby County whose voting rights were directly impacted by the county’s challenge.
The Couple That Defended the Federal Rights of Same-Sex Couples
This 2013 collage features the ACLU and NYCLU’s clients in the landmark Supreme Court case, United States v. Windsor, in which the Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. The case also established that the federal government cannot discriminate against legally married same-sex couples accessing federal benefits.
Watch ACLU Clients and Legal Team on Day of Challenging DOMA: Defense of Marriage Act
This video shows ACLU client Edie Windsor outside the Supreme Court after arguments were presented in United States v. Windsor, a landmark LGBTQ rights case in which the Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. The case also established that the federal government cannot discriminate against legally married same-sex couples accessing federal benefits.
2015
ACLU of Nebraska’s Marriage Freedom Plaintiffs Marj Plumb and Tracy Weitz with Jim Obergefell, the ACLU’s Plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges
Before the Supreme Court issued its historic Obergefell v. Hodges decision establishing marriage equality for same-sex couples nationwide, the ACLU of Nebraska scored a victory at the district court level. In this photo, two ACLU of Nebraska clients, Marj Plumb and Tracy Weitz, meet with Jim Obergefell, the ACLU’s plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Watch Jim Obergefell Thank ACLU Supporters for Proving Love Wins
The landmark 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges established marriage equality nationwide. The ACLU served as co-counsel for client Jim Obergefell, seen in this video marking the one-year anniversary of the ruling.
James Esseks and Jim Obergefell Outside the Supreme Court After Arguments
The landmark 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges established marriage equality nationwide. The ACLU served as co-counsel for client Jim Obergefell. In this photo, Obergefell wipes his eyes after exiting the Supreme Court following historic arguments over the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. James Esseks, director of the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, left, was instrumental in the legal strategy.
Defending the Right to Vote for People with Disabilities
This January 2015 report from the ACLU and the Center for Accessible Technology documented how nearly every state’s online voter registration website was inaccesible to people with disabilities. The report outlined the steps necessary to make registering to vote accessible to every citizen.
2016
ACLU’s Scathing Report, “Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention”
Egregious violations of ICE medical care standards played a prominent role in eight deaths in immigration detention facilities from 2010 to 2012. “Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention,” a report jointly produced by the ACLU, Detention Watch Network, and National Immigrant Justice Center, examines these deaths and the agency’s response to them.
Posters of #TakeCTRL Initiative to Protect Digital Privacy
In 2016, the ACLU launched the #TakeCTRL campaign, in which a diverse, bipartisan coalition of state legislators simultaneously announced legislation to protect their constituents’ digital privacy. Led by ACLU Policy Counsel Chad Marlow, the campaign successfully passed six laws within 180 days.
ACLU Advocates Call on President Barack Obama to Pardon Edward Snowden
Ben Wizner, deputy legal director at the ACLU, has served as the lead legal advisor for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden since July 2013. He coordinated Snowden’s asylum process and still oversees his defense against U.S. espionage charges, including on First Amendment grounds. Here, Naureen Shah, then Director of Amnesty International’s Security and Human Rights Program and current ACLU director of government affairs, and Wizner speak at the launch of a 2016 campaign calling upon President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden before leaving office.
2018
ACLU of West Virginia Pins Defending Reproductive Rights
These pins were created by the ACLU of West Virginia in 2018 as part of their fight against Amendment One, which stripped the right to abortion from the West Virginia Constitution.
ACLU Tells President Trump: Children Are Waiting
In response to the Trump administration’s family separation policy, the ACLU launched the “Children Are Waiting” campaign, which aired on MSNBC, CNN, and HGTV, along with a Spanish-language version on Telemundo and Univision. This campaign was part of a larger advocacy effort that included a mobilization at a Brownsville, Texas, courthouse where migrants were prosecuted as part of the administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.
ACLU of New Mexico Fights for Indigenous Rights in Johnson v. Board of Education
In 2018, McKenzie Johnson, a Navajo student at Cibola High School, was called a racist slur in front of her entire class by her teacher, who also cut off another Indigenous student’s braids without her consent. The ACLU of New Mexico stepped in to represent Johnson in her lawsuit against the Albuquerque Public Schools, arguing that the district failed to protect Native American students from a racially hostile educational environment and failed to provide adequate training to prevent discrimination. The New Mexico Court of Appeals revived the lawsuit in 2023, holding that public schools are subject to the New Mexico Human Rights Act. The ruling affirmed that students are entitled to learn in environments free from discrimination and reinforced that schools have a legal and moral obligation to ensure every student is treated with dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law. This photo shows ACLU of New Mexico Executive Director Leon Howard with youth advocates at a rally for the case.
What a Difference a DA Makes
In 2018, the ACLU of Massachusetts hosted the nation’s first political debate inside a jail. At the Suffolk County House of Correction, the ACLU of Massachusetts and the local sheriff’s department organized a debate among six candidates campaigning for district attorney of Suffolk County, which covers Boston and three other towns. The debate was part of the affiliate’s years-long “What a Difference a DA Makes” campaign to educate the public on the power district attorneys have, and provided an opportunity for people personally experiencing the criminal legal system to ask meaningful questions about its reform.
Artist Jay Ellis: “Families Belong Together”
Ms. L v. ICE was a landmark national class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU in February 2018 against the government. It challenged the “zero tolerance” border policy that forcibly separated thousands of migrant parents and children at the U.S.–Mexico border. The lawsuit cited violations of the Constitution’s due process clause, federal law protecting asylum seekers, and the government’s own directive to keep families intact. The ACLU organized a Families Belong Together rally in Brownsville, Texas to uplift this case, and actor Jay Ellis spoke. “Ms. L” and her daughter were reunited in March 2018, though the national class-action lawsuit continues.
2019
ACLU Artist Ambassador Padma Lakshmi Speaks at McDonald’s Headquarters Protesting Sexual Harassment
At a sexual harassment protest against McDonald’s in May 2019, McDonald’s workers and activists listen as ACLU Artist Ambassador Padma Lakshmi speaks outside the company’s headquarters during its annual shareholder meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The ACLU worked with Time’s Up and Fight For 15 to represent 25 workers bringing sexual harassment claims against McDonald’s.
Dale Ho Challenges Trump Administration’s Plan to Include Citizenship Question on 2020 Census
In the 2019 Supreme Court case, Department of Commerce v. New York, the ACLU represented a coalition of civil rights groups challenging the Department of Commerce’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Dale Ho, pictured here, then-director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, successfully argued the case.
Audio Clip of Dale Ho Successfully Arguing Voting Rights Case Before Supreme Court
In the 2019 Supreme Court case, Department of Commerce v. New York, the ACLU represented a coalition of civil rights groups challenging the Department of Commerce’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Dale Ho, heard here, then-director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, successfully argued the case.
ACLU’s Emmy Award Win
The short documentary, “Trans In America: Texas Strong” — created by the ACLU and Little By Little Films and broadcast by the digital platform Them — won Outstanding Short Documentary at the 40th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards in 2019. Pictured here is the Emmy, owned by the ACLU’s Chase Strangio, co-director of the LBGTQ & HIV Project.
ACLU Pin to Vote for Civil Liberties
This pin was worn by ACLU activists who attended events during the 2020 primaries to speak with candidates and get them on record supporting key policies to protect and expand civil rights and liberties.
