ABSTRACT
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a private, nonpartisan organization that litigates cases and lobbies for the defense of civil liberties throughout the United States. As either an amicus curiae or in its capacity as directly representing litigants, the ACLU has been one of the most successful and influential groups in America defending First Amendment, criminal due process, and equal protection rights. The ACLU has been involved in some of the politically and constitutionally most important cases in America. The ACLU has been involved in defending abortion rights, as in Roe v. Wade, 410 US 113; privacy and gay rights, as in Romer v. Evans, 517 US. 620; and free speech rights, as in Texas v. Johnson, 491 US. 397. The ACLU has brought many cases defending criminal due process rights while also opposing the death penalty.
