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
View Case
Learn About Racial Justice
Featured
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.
All Cases
132 Racial Justice Cases
Court Case
Jul 2014
Racial Justice
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, et al. v. Federal Housing Finance Agency
In December 2013, the ACLU, the ACLU of Northern California, the ACLU of New Jersey, and the Center for Popular Democracy filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to provide details about the agency’s relationship with the financial industry and its efforts to block municipalities from using eminent domain to prevent foreclosures. The complaint was filed on behalf of a number of community groups across the country.
Explore case
Court Case
Jul 2014
Racial Justice
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, et al. v. Federal Housing Finance Agency
In December 2013, the ACLU, the ACLU of Northern California, the ACLU of New Jersey, and the Center for Popular Democracy filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to provide details about the agency’s relationship with the financial industry and its efforts to block municipalities from using eminent domain to prevent foreclosures. The complaint was filed on behalf of a number of community groups across the country.
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2014
Racial Justice
Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action
Whether an amendment to the Michigan Constitution barring affirmative action at state universities and colleges violates federal equal protection.
Explore case
U.S. Supreme Court
Apr 2014
Racial Justice
Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action
Whether an amendment to the Michigan Constitution barring affirmative action at state universities and colleges violates federal equal protection.
Court Case
Mar 2014
Racial Justice
Smart Justice
Sheff v. O'Neill
A groundbreaking school desegregation case in Hartford, Connecticut.
Explore case
Court Case
Mar 2014
Racial Justice
Smart Justice
Sheff v. O'Neill
A groundbreaking school desegregation case in Hartford, Connecticut.
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.
Explore case
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.
Explore case
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.