News & Commentary about Photographers' Rights

The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

Federal agents dressed in military gear roaming the streets of Memphis

Jun 16, 2026

Trump Administration Hijacks Police Grants to Leverage Local Police For Its Authoritarian Ends

Person at a rally holds a large handmade sign reading “Free Speech, Free Press, Free People,” with a crowd and the Lincoln Memorial building in the background.

May 18, 2026

Recording Law Enforcement is a First Amendment Right

Students raising their hands in a classroom.

Sep 13, 2023

How Our Affiliates are Fighting for Education Equity

A protester records police in riot gear as they form a wall to push crowds of demonstrators in Portland, Ore., on June 30, 2020, in the wake the murder of George Floyd.

Aug 23, 2022

Arizona's New Law Banning People from Recording Police Violates our First Amendment Rights

A flag sits just north of a new section of the US-Mexico border structure

Apr 8, 2022

You Have the Right to Record Law Enforcement Officers — Including at the Border

Nov 22, 2021

Livestreaming Police is a Critical First Amendment Right

Black Lives Matter Protestors run as tear gas is dispensed into the crowd.

Jun 23, 2020

"All Hell Broke Loose."

Sep 4, 2018

Drones Are Revolutionizing Journalism, but Congress Could Curb This New Tool

Jul 10, 2017

One of the Nation’s Only Judges to Rule Against Right to Record Police Just Got Overturned

John Lewis being beaten by state troupers during Selma march

May 31, 2017

Suppression of Photographers During Civil Rights Movement an Important Reminder for Today