American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) dedicates itself to protecting the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. The framers of the Bill of Rights designated those areas of civil life where government could not intrude, ensuring that those rights belonged to individuals and the associations to which they belonged. The Bill of Rights limited the government's authority to regulate freedom in areas such as speech, religion, assembly, press, the right to petition one's government, and to be safe from unwarranted search and seizure. From its founding in 1920, the ACLU has grown from a single office to an organization with chapters in almost every state.

Chapters possess some degree of autonomy and may pursue strategies prior to the national board ...