American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union

Predecessor	National Civil Liberties Bureau
Formation	January 19, 1920; 105 years ago (1920-01-19)[1]
Founders	Jeannette Rankin Roger Nash Baldwin Crystal Eastman Helen Keller Walter Nelles Morris Ernst Albert DeSilver Arthur Garfield Hays Jane Addams Felix Frankfurter Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Type	501(c)(4) nonprofit organization
Tax ID no.	13-3871360
Purpose	Civil liberties advocacy
Headquarters	125 Broad Street, New York City, U.S.
Region served	United States
Membership	1.7 million (2024)[2]
President	Deborah Archer
Executive Director	Anthony Romero
Budget	$383 million (2024; combined ACLU and Foundation, excludes affiliates)[3]: 22–3
Staff	500 staff attorneys[4]
Volunteers	Several thousand attorneys[5]
Website	www.aclu.org

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million.

The ACLU provides legal assistance in cases where it considers civil liberties at risk. Legal support from the ACLU can take the form of direct legal representation or preparation of amicus curiae briefs expressing legal arguments when another law firm is already providing representation. In addition to representing persons and organizations in lawsuits, the ACLU lobbies for policy positions established by its board of directors.

The ACLU's current positions include opposing the death penalty; supporting same-sex marriage and the right of LGBTQ+ people to adopt; supporting reproductive rights such as birth control and abortion rights; eliminating discrimination against women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ people; decarceration in the United States; protecting housing and employment rights of veterans; reforming sex offender registries and protecting housing and employment rights of convicted first-time offenders; supporting the rights of prisoners and opposing torture; upholding the separation of church and state by opposing government preference for religion over non-religion or for particular faiths over others; and supporting the legality of gender-affirming treatments, including those that are government funded, for trans youth.