The
American Civil Liberties Union (
ACLU) is a
nonpartisan,
non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the
Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through
litigation,
lobbying, and community empowerment. Founded in 1920 by
Roger Baldwin,
Crystal Eastman,
Walter Nelles,
Morris Ernst,
Albert DeSilver,
Arthur Garfield Hays,
Helen Keller,
Jane Addams,
Felix Frankfurter, and
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, the ACLU has over 500,000 members and has an annual budget of over $100 million. Local affiliates of the ACLU are active in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The ACLU provides legal assistance in cases when it considers
civil liberties to be 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).