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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132 Racial Justice Cases
New York
May 2019
Racial Justice
Christa McAuliffe Intermediate School PTO v. Bill de Blasio
The McAuliffe lawsuit centers on New York City’s efforts to address the marked racial and geographic segregation in its elite Specialized High Schools by increasing access for students who are economically disadvantaged. The plaintiff alleges the changes discriminate against Asian Americans. We represent students and community groups to defend the modest steps taken by New York City to redress the fundamentally flawed admissions process.
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New York
May 2019
Racial Justice
Christa McAuliffe Intermediate School PTO v. Bill de Blasio
The McAuliffe lawsuit centers on New York City’s efforts to address the marked racial and geographic segregation in its elite Specialized High Schools by increasing access for students who are economically disadvantaged. The plaintiff alleges the changes discriminate against Asian Americans. We represent students and community groups to defend the modest steps taken by New York City to redress the fundamentally flawed admissions process.
South Dakota
Mar 2019
Racial Justice
Free Speech
Dakota Rural Action v. Noem
The ACLU and ACLU of South Dakota have filed a federal lawsuit challenging three South Dakota laws that target full-throated advocacy and protest.
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South Dakota
Mar 2019
Racial Justice
Free Speech
Dakota Rural Action v. Noem
The ACLU and ACLU of South Dakota have filed a federal lawsuit challenging three South Dakota laws that target full-throated advocacy and protest.
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2019
Racial Justice
Capital Punishment
Smith v. California 18-7094
Whether the Supreme Court should grant certiorari to prevent courts from allowing prosecutors to use prospective jurors’ opinions about the O.J. Simpson trial or other potential racial proxies as “race-neutral” explanations for striking black jurors without further inquiry.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2019
Racial Justice
Capital Punishment
Smith v. California 18-7094
Whether the Supreme Court should grant certiorari to prevent courts from allowing prosecutors to use prospective jurors’ opinions about the O.J. Simpson trial or other potential racial proxies as “race-neutral” explanations for striking black jurors without further inquiry.
U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2018
Racial Justice
Timbs v. Indiana
Whether the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated against the States, and therefore prohibits not only federal, but also state and local, fines, fees and forfeitures that are excessive.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2018
Racial Justice
Timbs v. Indiana
Whether the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated against the States, and therefore prohibits not only federal, but also state and local, fines, fees and forfeitures that are excessive.
California
Jul 2018
Racial Justice
Sigma Beta XI v County of Riverside
RIVERSIDE, CA — In the settlement of a lawsuit against the unconstitutional Youth Accountability Team (YAT) program in Riverside County that treated thousands of youths — especially those of color — like hardened criminals for minor adolescent misbehaviors, the county has agreed to groundbreaking measures.
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California
Jul 2018
Racial Justice
Sigma Beta XI v County of Riverside
RIVERSIDE, CA — In the settlement of a lawsuit against the unconstitutional Youth Accountability Team (YAT) program in Riverside County that treated thousands of youths — especially those of color — like hardened criminals for minor adolescent misbehaviors, the county has agreed to groundbreaking measures.