Racial Justice
Allen v. Milligan
Whether Alabama’s congressional districts violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because they discriminate against Black voters. We succeeded in winning a new map for 2024 elections which, for the first time, has two congressional district that provide Black voters a fair opportunity to elect candidates of their choosing despite multiple attempts by Alabama to stop us at the Supreme Court. Despite this win, Alabama is still defending its discriminatory map, and a trial was held in February 2025 to determine the map for the rest of the decade.
In May 2025, a federal court ruled that Alabama's 2023 congressional map both violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and was enacted by the Alabama Legislature with racially discriminatory intent.
Status: Ongoing
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Arizona
Oct 2023
Racial Justice
Criminal Law Reform
Fund for Empowerment v. Phoenix, City of
Fund for Empowerment is a challenge to the City of Phoenix’s practice of conducting sweeps of encampments without notice, issuing citations to unsheltered people for camping and sleeping on public property when they have no place else to go, and confiscating and destroying their property without notice or process.
U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2023
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
United States v. Rahimi
Whether 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits the possession of firearms by persons subject to domestic-violence restraining orders, violates the Second Amendment on its face.
U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2023
Racial Justice
Muldrow v. City of St. Louis
Do employees claiming that they have been denied a transfer because of their race have to demonstrate in addition that the transfer caused a significant material disadvantage?
Court Case
Jun 2020
Racial Justice
Defy Ventures, Inc. v. Small Business Administration
Suing the Trump administration to lift its unlawful exclusion of businesses owned by people with criminal records from being eligible for Paycheck Protection Act funds
California
Mar 2019
Racial Justice
MediaJustice, et al. v. Federal Bureau of Investigation, et al.
On March 21, 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union and MediaJustice, formerly known as "Center for Media Justice," filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records about FBI targeting of Black activists. The lawsuit enforces the ACLU and MediaJustice’s right to information about a 2017 FBI Intelligence Assessment that asserts, without evidence, that a group of so-called “Black Identity Extremists” poses a threat of domestic terrorism. The Intelligence Assessment was widely disseminated to law enforcement agencies nationwide, raising public concern about government surveillance of Black people and Black-led organizations based on anti-Black stereotypes and First Amendment protected activities.
Court Case
Aug 2015
Racial Justice
Disability Rights
S.R. v. Kenton County Sheriff's Office
A deputy sheriff shackled two elementary school children who have disabilities, causing them pain and trauma, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Children's Law Center, and Dinsmore & Shohl.
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129 Racial Justice Cases
South Dakota
Feb 2014
Racial Justice
Smart Justice
Antoine v. Winner School District
Filed in 2006, the ACLU's Antoine v. Winner School District class action lawsuit alleged discrimination against Native American students in the mostly-white Winner, South Dakota school district. The lawsuit was settled in December of 2007, and the ACLU works directly with the community and the defendant school district to implement the resulting Consent Decree.
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South Dakota
Feb 2014
Racial Justice
Smart Justice
Antoine v. Winner School District
Filed in 2006, the ACLU's Antoine v. Winner School District class action lawsuit alleged discrimination against Native American students in the mostly-white Winner, South Dakota school district. The lawsuit was settled in December of 2007, and the ACLU works directly with the community and the defendant school district to implement the resulting Consent Decree.
Court Case
Oct 2013
Racial Justice
+4 Issues
ACLU v. FBI - eGuardian FOIA Lawsuit
Government documents obtained by the ACLU show that nationwide programs that collect so-called "Suspicious Activity Reports" provide inadequate privacy safeguards and guidance on the definition of "suspicious activity," leading to violations of Americans' First Amendment and privacy rights, and to racial and religious profiling.
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Court Case
Oct 2013
Racial Justice
+4 Issues
ACLU v. FBI - eGuardian FOIA Lawsuit
Government documents obtained by the ACLU show that nationwide programs that collect so-called "Suspicious Activity Reports" provide inadequate privacy safeguards and guidance on the definition of "suspicious activity," leading to violations of Americans' First Amendment and privacy rights, and to racial and religious profiling.
U.S. Supreme Court
Oct 2013
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
Township of Mt. Holly v. Mt. Holly Gardens Citizens in Action, Inc.
Whether housing policies that have a disproportionate impact on racial minorities and women violate the anti-discrimination provision of the federal Fair Housing Act.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Oct 2013
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
Township of Mt. Holly v. Mt. Holly Gardens Citizens in Action, Inc.
Whether housing policies that have a disproportionate impact on racial minorities and women violate the anti-discrimination provision of the federal Fair Housing Act.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jan 2012
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
Magner v. Gallagher
Whether housing policies that have a disproportionate impact on racial minorities and women violate the anti-discrimination provision of the federal Fair Housing Act.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jan 2012
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
Magner v. Gallagher
Whether housing policies that have a disproportionate impact on racial minorities and women violate the anti-discrimination provision of the federal Fair Housing Act.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jan 2012
Racial Justice
Dep't of Health and Human Services v. Florida
Whether the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as the individual mandate, is constitutional.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jan 2012
Racial Justice
Dep't of Health and Human Services v. Florida
Whether the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as the individual mandate, is constitutional.