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American Civil Liberties Union

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American non-governmental organization devoted to defending civil rights and liberties. Lawsuits brought by the ACLU have been central to several important developments in U.S. constitutional law. The ACLU provides lawyers and legal expertise in cases where it believes that civil rights are being violated.

The ACLU was formed in 1920 as the "Civil Liberties Bureau", during the time of the Palmer Raids. Founders include Crystal Eastman and Roger Baldwin.

The organization has involved itself in cases to oppose official prayers in public schools, to prevent the display of religious symbols on public property, to support the legality of abortion and the rights of homosexuals, and to defend the freedom of speech of persons with unpopular, controversial, even extremist, opinions.

While the organization is generally supported by individuals who identify themselves as liberal, it has on occasion taken on cases which have upset many liberals - for instance defending the free speech rights of neo-Nazi groups, or NAMBLA, a group which supports pedophilia.

The group is not without critics, generally conservatives. Many of these allege that the ACLU has not dedicated itself only to the defense of constitutional rights, and that it seeks mainly to advance a liberal agenda, clothing this as a defense of "civil rights". They point to its opposition to the death penalty, which has been declared constitution by the US Supreme Court. The ACLU argues that the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment restriction against "cruel and unusual punishment." Critics also argue that the ACLU has not been consistent in defending all civil liberties, pointing out that it has not been active in litigating to protect gun rights, which the critics claim enjoy the same constitutional protection as rights with which the ACLU has been concerned.

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