ACLU Supporter –

Since the Supreme Court began its latest term a month ago, our legal teams have been there – fighting to defend our most fundamental rights from abortion rights to religious freedom.

And while the work at SCOTUS remains critical, it's not the only arena where advocating for justice can and must happen – particularly as sweeping restrictions on civil liberties continue to infest state laws across the country.

That's why we wanted to update you on our litigation happening beyond the Supreme Court – driven by our lawyers fighting across all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Here are just some of the state and federal legal challenges you should know about from the past few weeks:

• On voting rights and redistricting: Just yesterday, we filed a pair of lawsuits alongside other civil rights and faith groups to challenge Alabama's newly drawn state legislative and congressional district maps. These new maps are racial gerrymanders, that unnecessarily pack and divide Black communities in the state. They weaponize race to undermine the political power of Black communities in Alabama and blatantly violate the Constitution – that's why we're suing.
• On racial justice and privacy rights: Last week, we joined scientist Sherry Chen's lawsuit against the U.S. government. A rogue security unit within the Commerce Department unlawfully investigated and falsely arrested Chen as part of a broad pattern of discrimination directed at Asian Americans. This discrimination is at the heart of the so-called "China Initiative" – launched by Trump and continuing to this day.
• On LGBTQ equality: Two weeks ago, we filed suit against the state of Tennessee over its unconstitutional law banning transgender students from participating in school sports. The lawsuit is brought by and on behalf of our client – 14-year-old Luc Esquivel, a high school freshman who will be prevented from playing golf on the boys' team by this cruel and unjust law.
• On religious freedom: The same week we filed our Tennessee lawsuit, we also sued a Mississippi city that blocked a proposed mosque due to anti-Muslim prejudice. Horn Lake officials rejected our clients' site plan for the Abraham House of God mosque, warning that, "if you let them build it, they will come." Our lawsuit argues that city officials violated a federal law that gives heightened legal protections to houses of worship in local land-use proceedings.
• On freedom of speech and inclusive education: Finally, a few weeks ago, we filed our challenge to Oklahoma's classroom censorship bill, HB 1775, together with a group of students and educators. The bill restricts public school teachers and students from learning and talking about race and gender in the classroom. The bill chills First Amendment rights and prevents students from having open and honest conversations about our history – one that includes the experiences of historically marginalized communities.

ACLU Supporter, across issues and across the nation, these are just five of many important filings that our attorneys are working on non-stop right now.

And that doesn't begin to cover the range of work being pushed forward in Congress, statehouses, and at the grassroots level by our advocacy and organizing teams, either.

With civil liberties at stake on nearly every front right now, it's this ability to take action wherever we're needed that puts us in a position to fight back – and it's ACLU activists like you that fuel it all.

So thanks once again and be sure to watch out for more on our urgent work together.

From every corner of the country,

The ACLU Team