ACLU Supporter –

Last year's Supreme Court term was the most conservative in a century, as President Trump's three nominees exercised their newfound power to rule against liberty and shrink our constitutional rights.

We're not letting that stop our work.

Since SCOTUS isn't protecting people's rights – let alone expanding them – we at the ACLU know more than ever that turning to state courts is now urgent and necessary when it comes to showing up for our freedoms across the country.

That's why today, the ACLU is launching our new State Supreme Court Initiative to fight for the expansion of civil liberties and civil rights through state constitutions.

With lawyers in every state in the country, the ACLU is uniquely situated to do this important work and to develop cross-state expertise on state constitutional litigation. As the two attorneys leading this initiative's work, we know too well that state constitutions often protect more rights than the U.S. Constitution – and that makes them a powerful backstop against the attacks of those looking to curtail rights.

That's where this new initiative will be crucial – and the ACLU knows how to win. This litigation strategy will build on the progress that we have already made in state courts on a range of issues, including:

Make no mistake: These issues are only some of the many we can and will continue pursuing to protect people's rights as we add new cases through this initiative.

ACLU Supporter, having you with us in this work is going to be essential to the progress we know we can and will achieve. So please be sure to read up on our plans ahead for the State Supreme Court Initiative here – and thank you so much for being a part of this critical fight for civil liberties.

For the people,

Julie Murray (she, her) and Matthew Segal (he, him)
Senior Staff Attorneys
ACLU State Supreme Court Initiative