One hundred-and-three years ago on Jan. 19, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the nonprofit human rights organization, was founded. Today, it counts nearly four million people as members (yes, you read that number right), making it one of the most well-known nonprofits in the U.S. The ACLU primarily provides legal assistance to individuals in cases where civil liberties, as enshrined by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws, are imperiled. Its lawyers sometimes provide direct legal representation, but you probably are more familiar with the ACLU’s amicus curiae briefs, which offer needed context and supply other law firms with arguments as they prepare to represent their clients. You might have also heard of the ACLU’s policy positions, which provide an intellectual framework for its organization and efforts. According to its 2023 annual report, 550 ACLU attorneys filed more than 120 state court cases across 24 states in the last five years on a range of issues related to free speech, discrimination based on an individual’s health status, and the right to privacy amid technology’s advancement. Pictured: the ACLU’s headquarters at 125 Broad Street (formerly 2 New York Plaza), designed by Kahn and Jacobs, and completed in 1971, as illustrated in a real estate brochure, courtesy the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.
NCPA
