Campaigns & Initiatives
Learn more about and support the ACLU's work to defend civil liberties and civil rights in every corner of the country.
Featured
Campaign
Jan 2026
Free Speech
+2 老熟女午夜福利
Defeat, Delay, Dilute: ACLU Versus President Trump
One year ago, President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term. His administration has created chaos, trampled on our rights, and harmed so many of us. But the ACLU has been fighting back 鈥 and winning. Now, we're telling the story of the first year of our fight against the Trump administration鈥檚 second term, our lessons learned, and our path forward.
We were prepared for this fight from day one.
Before President Trump was elected, we examined his campaign promises 鈥 including those outlined in Project 2025 鈥 and outlined a plan for how we would fight to protect the rights and liberties of all people. We spent months plotting out our litigation and advocacy strategy across the country, building a plan to ensure that cities and states would be a Firewall for Freedom 鈥 a shield defending against a federal government attacking civil rights and civil liberties.
Within hours of President Trump's inauguration, it was clear that he and his administration would, once again, test the Constitution and the willingness of our nation鈥檚 institutions and people to defend it. But we were ready. The ACLU mobilized our lawyers, advocates, organizers, storytellers, and supporters to delay unconstitutional policies before they took effect, dilute their reach when full blockage wasn鈥檛 immediately possible, and defeat them through courts, public pressure, and sustained organizing. In 2025, we took over 230 legal actions against the Trump administration, with remarkable success: 64% of our lawsuits have delayed, diluted, or defeated the Trump administration鈥檚 agenda.
But despite everything we鈥檝e accomplished so far, we cannot underestimate the continued speed and ferocity of this assault on civil rights and civil liberties or the impact it will continue to have on us all. And as we enter 2026, the stakes feel as high as ever.
That鈥檚 why the ACLU is releasing a report about the first year of the Trump administration, highlighting key lessons learned and laying out our roadmap for the years to come. You can download the full report here: Defeat, Delay, Dilute: ACLU Versus President Trump
What the ACLU does over the next three years and how well we do it will play a role in shaping the course of American history. Because democracy doesn鈥檛 defend itself 鈥 people do. And together, we will keep showing up.
Read a letter from our Executive Director Anthony D. Romero here.
Campaign
Jan 2026
LGBTQ Rights
More Than A Game
This year, SCOTUS will determine whether states can ban transgender students from youth sports 鈥 but the ACLU and women鈥檚 sports stars are teaming up in support of trans youth, their families, and their right to be themselves.
Campaign
May 2025
LGBTQ Rights
Freedom To Be: Joy, Family, & Transgender Rights
The Freedom To Be Monument is a powerful, living testament to trans resilience, community, and joy. Explore the monument, witness these powerful stories, and join us in the fight to defend trans freedom.
This installation took over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 17 as a bold act of resistance to transphobia, trans erasure, and anti-trans legislation. It stands as a declaration that trans people deserve the freedom to be鈥攍oved, safe, and in control of our own health care decisions.
Inspired by the legacy of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, this installation combats erasure and ensures that trans voices, stories, and existence are seen and honored. It directly challenges those who seek to strip away trans rights, boldly affirming that trans lives are here to stay.
Spelling out the words 鈥淔reedom To Be,鈥 the monument consists of 250 panels鈥攅ach 6 feet by 6 feet鈥攃reated by hundreds of trans folks and allies across the country. Every panel is a response to the question: What does freedom to be mean to me? Over the past year, in partnership with the ACLU, trans storytellers and allies have poured their hopes, fears, and dreams into this collective work of art.
All Campaigns & Initiatives
Campaign
Oct 2025
Free Speech
Stand with Standing Rock
In January 2016, with the aim of creating a direct route to transport crude oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, and Iowa and into Illinois, the Dakota Access Pipeline was unanimously approved for construction. The controversial pipeline could destroy ancestral burial grounds and poison the water supply for a sovereign nation, as well as millions of Americans downstream who rely on the Missouri River.
All eyes were on Standing Rock as unwarranted armored vehicles rolled in. Law enforcement used automatic rifles, sound cannons, and concussion grenades against water protectors. An estimated 300 protesters were injured when police in riot gear used water cannons for hours in subfreezing weather to disperse them.
National Guard troops, personnel and equipment pouring in from over 75 law enforcement agencies from around the country created a battlefield-like atmosphere at Standing Rock. Escalated police militarization was used to intimidate and silence water protectors鈥 free speech and their right to protest a pipeline which passes near sovereign territory.
Thousands from across the globe joined in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to stop the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. The protest has brought together at least 200 tribes that had not united for more than 150 years.
In June 2025, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe appealed a federal judge鈥檚 dismissal of its latest lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, continuing its years-long fight to protect tribal sovereignty and water rights threatened by the Dakota Access Pipeline. The tribe argues the pipeline still lacks a valid federal easement to cross under Lake Oahe, a reservoir along the Missouri River that provides water for the reservation, and that keeping it open violates federal law.
Since Standing Rock鈥檚 historic mobilization, states across the country have advanced or passed anti-protest laws that criminalize resistance to fossil fuel projects. These laws target Indigenous-led movements and environmental defenders who continue to speak out against the destruction of sacred lands and waters. As these restrictive laws spread, it is more important than ever for advocates to understand and defend their constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. Knowing your rights and standing together in solidarity remains essential to ensuring that the struggle for clean water, sacred lands, and tribal sovereignty is not silenced by fear or repression.
Explore campaign
Campaign
Oct 2025
Free Speech
Stand with Standing Rock
In January 2016, with the aim of creating a direct route to transport crude oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, and Iowa and into Illinois, the Dakota Access Pipeline was unanimously approved for construction. The controversial pipeline could destroy ancestral burial grounds and poison the water supply for a sovereign nation, as well as millions of Americans downstream who rely on the Missouri River.
All eyes were on Standing Rock as unwarranted armored vehicles rolled in. Law enforcement used automatic rifles, sound cannons, and concussion grenades against water protectors. An estimated 300 protesters were injured when police in riot gear used water cannons for hours in subfreezing weather to disperse them.
National Guard troops, personnel and equipment pouring in from over 75 law enforcement agencies from around the country created a battlefield-like atmosphere at Standing Rock. Escalated police militarization was used to intimidate and silence water protectors鈥 free speech and their right to protest a pipeline which passes near sovereign territory.
Thousands from across the globe joined in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to stop the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. The protest has brought together at least 200 tribes that had not united for more than 150 years.
In June 2025, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe appealed a federal judge鈥檚 dismissal of its latest lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, continuing its years-long fight to protect tribal sovereignty and water rights threatened by the Dakota Access Pipeline. The tribe argues the pipeline still lacks a valid federal easement to cross under Lake Oahe, a reservoir along the Missouri River that provides water for the reservation, and that keeping it open violates federal law.
Since Standing Rock鈥檚 historic mobilization, states across the country have advanced or passed anti-protest laws that criminalize resistance to fossil fuel projects. These laws target Indigenous-led movements and environmental defenders who continue to speak out against the destruction of sacred lands and waters. As these restrictive laws spread, it is more important than ever for advocates to understand and defend their constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. Knowing your rights and standing together in solidarity remains essential to ensuring that the struggle for clean water, sacred lands, and tribal sovereignty is not silenced by fear or repression.
Campaign
Oct 2025
Free Speech
Banned Books Week 2025
Find an event or learn more about your First Amendment freedoms.
Explore campaign
Campaign
Oct 2025
Free Speech
Banned Books Week 2025
Find an event or learn more about your First Amendment freedoms.
Campaign
Jun 2025
Immigrants' Rights
Documenting Stories of Cruelty, Fear, and Resilience
Immigrants, families, and communities share how Trump鈥檚 unlawful immigration policies and rhetoric have taken a toll on their lives.
Explore campaign
Campaign
Jun 2025
Immigrants' Rights
Documenting Stories of Cruelty, Fear, and Resilience
Immigrants, families, and communities share how Trump鈥檚 unlawful immigration policies and rhetoric have taken a toll on their lives.
Campaign
Jan 2025
Civil Liberties
+7 老熟女午夜福利
The Trump Memos
President Trump鈥檚 second term agenda and The Heritage Foundation鈥檚 extreme Project 2025 are blatantly enmeshed. Read our memos on how to fight back!
Explore campaign
Campaign
Jan 2025
Civil Liberties
+7 老熟女午夜福利
The Trump Memos
President Trump鈥檚 second term agenda and The Heritage Foundation鈥檚 extreme Project 2025 are blatantly enmeshed. Read our memos on how to fight back!
Campaign
Dec 2024
Racial Justice
Protecting Indigenous Students' Right to Wear Tribal Regalia
Graduation is a time of celebration and community. After centuries of attempted genocide and erasure of Indigenous culture and tradition, the ability to celebrate commencement in a culturally appropriate way is deeply important for Indigenous students. Tribal regalia worn at commencement are a symbol of resistance, resilience, and reclamation by students of their right to an education that honors their culture and heritage. But for some Indigenous students, graduation can be fraught with uncertainty or controversy over their ability to wear tribal regalia during commencement ceremonies. Some schools still prohibit Indigenous students from wearing items at graduation, claiming that it would violate the school鈥檚 dress code and speculating, without any basis, that it would disrupt the ceremony.
Explore campaign
Campaign
Dec 2024
Racial Justice
Protecting Indigenous Students' Right to Wear Tribal Regalia
Graduation is a time of celebration and community. After centuries of attempted genocide and erasure of Indigenous culture and tradition, the ability to celebrate commencement in a culturally appropriate way is deeply important for Indigenous students. Tribal regalia worn at commencement are a symbol of resistance, resilience, and reclamation by students of their right to an education that honors their culture and heritage. But for some Indigenous students, graduation can be fraught with uncertainty or controversy over their ability to wear tribal regalia during commencement ceremonies. Some schools still prohibit Indigenous students from wearing items at graduation, claiming that it would violate the school鈥檚 dress code and speculating, without any basis, that it would disrupt the ceremony.