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In 2023, more than 100 classroom censorship bills aimed at restricting students and teachers from discussing race, gender, or sexual orientation were introduced in states across the country. Thirty-two bills became law. The year prior, the country saw the highest number of attempted book bans in 20 years with more than 1,000 demands to censor library books and resources, many of which targeted titles by or about Black and LGBTQ people. The ACLU has challenged classroom censorship laws and book bans across the country. Today, we’re expanding on that work by pushing back against attempts to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs. We won’t stand for the erasure of marginalized communities in our schools.

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 — and winning. Now, we're telling the story of the first year of our fight against the Trump administration’s 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 — including those outlined in Project 2025 — 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 — 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’s 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’t 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’s agenda. But despite everything we’ve 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’s 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’t defend itself – people do. And together, we will keep showing up. Read a letter from our Executive Director Anthony D. Romero here.

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’ 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’s 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’s 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.

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President Trump’s second term agenda and The Heritage Foundation’s extreme Project 2025 are blatantly enmeshed. Read our memos on how to fight back!