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
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.
Court Case
May 2018
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
NFHA v. Carson
The American Civil Liberties Union, along with a coalition of civil rights law firms, represent the National Fair Housing Alliance, Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, and Texas Appleseed in a federal lawsuit challenging HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s January 2018 decision to delay key portions of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule. The suit defends the AFFH Rule as a crucial tool for dismantling racial segregation and fair housing barriers for people of color, survivors of gender-based violence, people with disabilities, and low-income people.
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Court Case
May 2018
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
NFHA v. Carson
The American Civil Liberties Union, along with a coalition of civil rights law firms, represent the National Fair Housing Alliance, Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, and Texas Appleseed in a federal lawsuit challenging HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s January 2018 decision to delay key portions of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule. The suit defends the AFFH Rule as a crucial tool for dismantling racial segregation and fair housing barriers for people of color, survivors of gender-based violence, people with disabilities, and low-income people.
Court Case
May 2018
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
Bank of America v. City of Miami
Whether cities have standing to sue under the Fair Housing Act for the economic impact of discriminatory banking practices.
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Court Case
May 2018
Racial Justice
Women's Rights
Bank of America v. City of Miami
Whether cities have standing to sue under the Fair Housing Act for the economic impact of discriminatory banking practices.
Court Case
Apr 2018
Racial Justice
Student Debt: Department of Education FOIA Lawsuit
Student debt is a major driver of lifelong debt cycles and presents a significant civil rights challenge. The federal student loan program grows out of a commitment to educational opportunities for all Americans, yet research shows there are significant racial disparities at every major inflection point of the student debt system, from the magnitude of the debt burden borrowers undertake to the chances of being victimized by predatory educational programs and harmful debt-collection practices.
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Court Case
Apr 2018
Racial Justice
Student Debt: Department of Education FOIA Lawsuit
Student debt is a major driver of lifelong debt cycles and presents a significant civil rights challenge. The federal student loan program grows out of a commitment to educational opportunities for all Americans, yet research shows there are significant racial disparities at every major inflection point of the student debt system, from the magnitude of the debt burden borrowers undertake to the chances of being victimized by predatory educational programs and harmful debt-collection practices.