The Songs That Helped ACLU Staffers Survive 2020

When a court rules that an issue is a “political question,” that issue becomes “nonjusticiable.” In other words, courts close their doors to political questions, even when an injured plaintiff seeks relief that a court could provide. The ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative and the ACLU of Minnesota filed an amicus brief in the Minnesota Supreme Court arguing that the Court should narrow, or at a minimum, not expand, the political question doctrine under the Minnesota Constitution. The brief urges the Court to preserve the justiciability of legal issues and thus ensure that provisions of the state Constitution are not just words on paper but meaningful guarantees for the people of Minnesota.

In "Let the Record Show," the ACLU's newest podcast, we discuss how office politics gave courts the power to decide if political decisions are constitutional. It's led to an array of landmark decisions that continue to protect our civil liberties today.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. today announced the launch of a joint campaign that will spend over $3.5 million to educate and engage North Carolina voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. “For years, voters in North Carolina have watched as extreme politicians try over and over again to strip us of our rights – from our right to bodily autonomy to our right to fair representation,” said Liz Barber, ACLU of North Carolina director of policy and advocacy. “The ACLU is committed to ensuring that North Carolinians understand how state officials – like state supreme court justices and state legislators – can protect our rights, and where candidates for office this cycle stand on these important issues.” The organizations are spending $3.5 million on a series of statewide advertisements on social and digital media platforms and direct-to-voter mailers during the final weeks of the state Supreme Court race and key state legislative races. The advertisements will focus on educating voters about where candidates stand on key issues, including abortion rights and voting rights. This is the organizations’ largest electoral spend in North Carolina to date and will reach over 2.3 million voters. The spending is part of a multi-cycle strategy in North Carolina from the ACLU. In 2024, the ACLU of North Carolina and ACLU spent $750,000 on direct mail, digital ads, and grassroots outreach educating voters about issues at stake in the state Supreme Court and state legislative elections. The North Carolina Supreme Court is responsible for interpreting the state constitution and state laws. As the state’s highest court, it has the final say on many questions involving civil rights and civil liberties, and the North Carolina Constitution can provide broader protections than the U.S. Constitution. In 2022, for example, the court held that the North Carolina Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment can provide protections beyond those guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment. The ACLU of North Carolina, and ACLU are nonpartisan and do not support or oppose candidates for elected office. The organizations do, however, educate the voters about the issues at stake in elections and candidates’ positions and records on civil rights and civil liberties.

Salles, et al. v. National Institutes of Health, et al. is a class action lawsuit challenging the censorship and termination of federally funded research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While ongoing litigation in APHA v. NIH successfully resulted in the reinstatement of hundreds of grants, NIH’s current policies continue to target viewpoints it opposes, threatening research because the government dislikes what it thinks the researchers believe or are likely to say, and continue to violate governing statutes and regulations. This is stymieing critical public health research, particularly related to climate change, the starkest health disparities including those faced by communities of color and LGBTQ+ populations, and other areas.