Editing American Civil Liberties Union (section)

==Policy positions==
The ACLU's 2024 annual report states that it engages in legal advocacy in support of civil rights, including abortion rights, LGBTQ equality, immigrants' rights, criminal law reform, free speech, and voting rights.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|3–4}}

When the ACLU was formed in 1919, free speech was the civil right that it concentrated on.  The ACLU has supported free speech, even when the speech is unpopular or offensive.  The ACLU opposes limits on campaign contributions, since such limits generally limit free speech and could be used to restrict the rights of unions.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|12–13}}<ref name="t1n">{{Cite news |last=Neuborne |first=Burt |date=2012-03-21 |title=Why the ACLU Is Wrong About 'Citizens United' |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/why-aclu-wrong-about-citizens-united/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |language=en-US |issn=0027-8378}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Campaign Finance Reform |url=https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/campaign-finance-reform |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en-US}}</ref> The ACLU also opposes state censorship of the [[Confederate flag]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liptak |first=Adam |date=2015-03-23 |title=A Test of Free Speech and Bias, Served on a Plate From Texas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/us/a-test-of-free-speech-and-bias-served-on-a-plate-from-texas.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Free speech on college campuses has been the subject of several lawsuits the ACLU has supported.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Kathryn |title=The Litigation After the Protest Storm |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2024/05/21/litigation-after-protest-storm |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Inside Higher Ed |language=en}}</ref>  In the employment realm, the ACLU has supported the rights of employees to engage in free speech.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chasan |first=Aliza |date=2023-08-15 |title=New Jersey Supreme Court rules in favor of Catholic school that fired unwed pregnant teacher - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/victoria-crisitello-new-jersey-supreme-court-pregnant-unwed-catholic-school-teacher-st-theresa-school/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="aclu62">{{Cite web |title=ACLU of Alaska Requests Court Rules to Protect the First Amendment Rights of State Employees |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-alaska-requests-court-rules-protect-first-amendment-rights-state-employees |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en-US}}
</ref> Protests outside religious buildings are supported by the ACLU, even when perceived as offensive.<ref name="aclu56">{{Cite web |date=2021-09-16 |title=Court won't stop protests outside Michigan synagogue |url=https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-israel-michigan-constitutions-715eaf064965bda698a1fed411bb560d |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>
 
Combating discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, or gender has been a focus of the ACLU since the civil rights era in the 1960s. The ACLU frequently participates in legal actions in support of the LGBTQ community.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|14–15}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lennon |first=Lauren |date=2024-09-04 |title=ACLU challenges South Carolina's transgender healthcare ban in new lawsuit |url=https://abcnews4.com/news/local/aclu-challenges-south-carolinas-transgender-healthcare-ban-in-new-lawsuit-wciv-abc-news-4-american-civil-liberties-union-of-south-carolina-gender-affirming-car |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=WCIV |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana ACLU challenging ruling on gender-affirming care for transgender kids |url=https://www.abc57.com/news/indiana-aclu-challenging-ruling-on-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-kids |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=ABC57 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Levin |first1=Sam |title=Trans adults stripped of healthcare access sue South Carolina over GOP bill: 'I'm desperate' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/29/south-carolina-aclu-trans-healthcare |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=29 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Clifford |first1=Ted |title=Lawsuit filed by ACLU aims to block law limiting transgender care in South Carolina |url=https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article291716320.html |access-date=4 September 2024 |date=August 30, 2024}}</ref>

Criminal justice has been long-standing goal of the ACLU, focusing on constitutional issues such as excessive punishment and the right to an attorney.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|18–19}}<ref name="bop">{{Cite web |last=Pavlo |first=Walter |title=ACLU Files Class Action Against Bureau Of Prisons Over First Step Act |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2024/12/26/aclu-files-class-action-against-bureau-of-prisons-over-first-step-act/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name="aclu3">{{Cite web |title=ACLU Sues Bureau of Prisons for Keeping People in Prison Longer Than the Law Allows |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-sues-bureau-of-prisons-for-keeping-people-in-prison-longer-than-the-law-allows |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en-US}}</ref>  Immigrant rights, for undocumented immigrants in particular, is an area of the law that the ACLU frequently acts as an advocate.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|16–17}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Giaritelli |first=Anna |date=2024-12-28 |title=ACLU 'ready to return to the courts' to thwart Trump immigration plans |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3257748/aclu-legal-fights-trump-immigration-agenda/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Montoya-Galvez |first=Camilo |date=2024-06-13 |title=ACLU and migrant rights groups sue over Biden's asylum crackdown - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-border-asylum-order-aclu-lawsuit/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Beitsch |first=Rebecca |date=2023-05-12 |title=ACLU sues to block new asylum restrictions |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4001833-aclu-sues-to-block-new-asylum-restrictions/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Aleaziz |first=Hamed |date=2024-06-12 |title=A.C.L.U. Sues to Stop Biden's Asylum Ban on the U.S.-Mexico Border |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/12/us/politics/aclu-lawsuit-biden-border-asylum.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Holpuch |first=Amanda |date=2022-03-04 |title=A suit filed by the A.C.L.U. accuses ICE jailers of denying detainees vaccines. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/world/aclu-ice-covid-vaccine-booster.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
</ref>

Many of the ACLU positions are rooted in the U.S. Constitution, such as the [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Second Amendment]]: the ACLU opposes any effort to create a national registry of gun owners and has worked with the [[National Rifle Association of America]] to prevent a registry from being created, and it has favored protecting the right to carry guns under the Second Amendment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blumenthal |first=Ralph |date=April 5, 2007 |title=Unusual Allies in a Legal Battle Over Texas Drivers' Gun Rights |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05guns.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408165308/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05guns.html |archive-date=April 8, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/15/aclu-toomey-manchin-bill-would-make-national-gun-registry-less-likely/ | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=The Plum Line | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421083726/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/15/aclu-toomey-manchin-bill-would-make-national-gun-registry-less-likely |archive-date=April 21, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>   The ACLU works to support the right to vote.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|8–9}}

The ACLU supports women's rights to make health care decisions, including access to abortions.<ref name="bud2024"/>{{rp|10–11}}<ref name="nyt1">{{Cite news |last=Powell |first=Michael |date=2022-06-08 |title=A Vanishing Word in Abortion Debate: ‘Women’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/us/women-gender-aclu-abortion.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="aclu35">{{Cite web |title=ACLU Applauds Effort to Repeal Comstock Act |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-applauds-effort-to-repeal-comstock-act |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en-US}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Planned Parenthood Files Lawsuit to Restore Abortion Access, on Heels of Voters Approving Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-planned-parenthood-files-lawsuit-to-restore-abortion-access-on-heels-of-voters-approving-right-to-reproductive-freedom-initiative |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en-US}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-07 |title=Lawsuit filed by Missouri Planned Parenthood to challenge state abortion restrictions |url=https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/news/your-local-election-headquarters/lawsuit-filed-by-missouri-planned-parenthood-to-challenge-state-abortion-restrictions/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=KSNF/KODE {{!}} FourStatesHomepage.com |language=en-US}}</ref>