The Sword Master G ij,j =0 Thoth Unveiling What the ACLU stands for now and its key issues

Below is a breakdown of what American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is doing politically in 2025 — the major fights, issues, and strategies they’re focusing on.

What the ACLU stands for now and its key issues

The ACLU defends free speech, press freedom, protest rights, and civil liberties broadly. Their 2025 agenda includes pushing back against attempts by the federal government to silence dissent, censor journalism, or crack down on protesters. (American Civil Liberties Union)
They’re working to protect and expand voting rights and fair elections — resisting laws and policies that restrict access to the ballot, opposing gerrymandering that dilutes representation, and promoting voter education so people know their rights. (American Civil Liberties Union)
They fight for immigrants’ rights and due process: challenging deportation orders, defending against immigration enforcement that they view as unconstitutional or abusive, and challenging executive-branch overreach on immigration policy. (American Civil Liberties Union)
They defend reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy, and LGBTQ+ rights — for example challenging policies that restrict access to abortion or gender-affirming care or that discriminate on the basis of gender identity. (American Civil Liberties Union)
They oppose broad surveillance, privacy violations, and government overreach (especially when it threatens free speech, protest rights, or targets marginalized communities). (American Civil Liberties Union)
They also work on criminal justice reform and reducing collateral consequences of criminal records — including advocating for fair treatment in policing, bail reform, and ensuring people with convictions aren’t unfairly barred from housing or other basic rights. (ACLU of Connecticut)

How the ACLU is politically active: strategies & tools

Litigation and lawsuits: The ACLU has filed hundreds of legal actions in 2025 — over 200 legal actions in total, with dozens of major lawsuits challenging executive-branch actions, immigration enforcement abuses, attacks on free speech, and more. (American Civil Liberties Union)
State- and local-level advocacy and legislation: Through its affiliates in every state, the ACLU works to pass or defend legislation protecting civil liberties. For instance, in one state they helped pass strong restrictions on surveillance by police, preventing misuse of license-plate reader data. (ACLU of Virginia)
Voter-education, mobilization & non-partisan political engagement: Through its affiliated PAC (the ACLU Voter Education Fund), the ACLU spends money on voter-education campaigns, outreach, ads, etc., especially around key issues like abortion, voting rights, and justice issues — while not endorsing specific candidates. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Public organizing and activism, community outreach: The ACLU helps coordinate protests, “know-your-rights” trainings, activism around civil liberties issues, and mobilizing its millions of members to push for reforms or block harmful policies. (American Civil Liberties Union)

Recent 2025 Highlights & What They’ve Accomplished

In the first months of the second administration of Donald Trump, the ACLU filed dozens of lawsuits challenging actions like attempts to undermine birthright citizenship, deportations under the seldom-used Alien Enemies Act, and other executive-branch overreaches. (ACLU of Missouri)
They blocked or delayed many controversial measures: for example, at federal level, they’ve filed court challenges against over-broad surveillance, attempts to restrict protest or dissent, and policies targeting immigrants or minorities. (American Civil Liberties Union)
State affiliates have successfully prevented many harmful laws and also advanced protections: in one state they defeated dozens of anti-civil-rights bills and passed strong laws restricting government surveillance and protecting immigrant communities. (ACLU of Virginia)
Through election-year efforts (voter education, mobilization, ballot-measure support), the ACLU is actively influencing public awareness and civic participation around civil-liberties issues. (American Civil Liberties Union)

What They See as Key Threats — and What They’re Fighting

The ACLU views several recent and proposed policies as threats to civil liberties:

Executive-branch overreach on immigration (mass deportations, misuse of historic laws, denial of due process). (American Civil Liberties Union)
Efforts to limit reproductive rights, ban or restrict abortion or gender-affirming care, or otherwise interfere with personal bodily autonomy. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Laws or policies that suppress free speech, protest, journalism, or the ability to dissident publicly. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Expanding surveillance powers, data-privacy intrusions, unchecked police or government monitoring — especially harmful to immigrants, minorities, activists. (ACLU of Virginia)
Voter suppression, unfair redistricting, or policies that undermine democratic participation — which threatens fair representation and civil rights. (American Civil Liberties Union)

The ACLU are using every tool — courts, organizing, local/state laws, public advocacy, civic engagement — to block or overturn these policies.

These are only some of the most important court-cases and legislative/policy fights that American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is engaged in right now (2025). Below are the ones that are consequential — on immigration, voting, free speech, and civil liberties.

Key ACLU Court Cases & Legal Battles in 2025

Case / Issue	What it’s about / Why it matters
Smith v. Trump	In April 2025, ACLU (and state affiliate) sued on behalf of human-rights advocates impacted by an executive order banning Americans from providing services to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The suit argues the order violates First Amendment rights and exceeds presidential authority. (ACLU of Maine)
League of Women Voters Education Fund v. Trump (Voting Executive Order challenge)	A federal court permanently struck down part of a 2025 presidential executive order that would have required documentary proof of citizenship (passport or equivalent) to register to vote — a provision that would disproportionately impact voters of color. (ACLU of DC)
ACLU Foundation v. ICE (immigration-detention transparency lawsuit in Virginia)	In October 2025, ACLU (with state affiliates) filed suit to force U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reveal records about plans to expand immigration detention facilities in Virginia. They argue opaque expansion threatens civil-rights protections and detainee welfare. (ACLU of Virginia)
Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem (challenging ICE raids in Los Angeles / immigration arrests)	Filed in mid-2025 on behalf of several LA residents, this lawsuit alleges unconstitutional round-ups of immigrants: arrests without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, discriminatory enforcement targeting Hispanic people at workplaces, and use of disproportionate force. (Wikipedia)
Escobar Molina v. Department of Homeland Security (challenging warrantless immigration arrests in D.C.)	As of late 2025, ACLU-DC and partners sued to block federal pattern of immigration arrests in Washington, D.C. made without warrants or probable cause — arguing the arrests violate constitutional protections. (ACLU of DC)
Birthright citizenship executive-order challenge (2025)	Early in 2025, ACLU sued to block a presidential executive order that attempted to end birthright citizenship. In February, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the order. (ACLU of Massachusetts)
Class-action lawsuit on behalf of international students (F-1 status terminations)	In April 2025, ACLU of Maine (with others) filed a class-action suit for more than 100 international students whose F-1 status was abruptly terminated without clear reason — threatening their studies and status. (ACLU of Maine)
Challenges to curtailed asylum / fast-track deportation / controversial executive orders on asylum / gender-affirming care & DEI policies	Over 2025, ACLU has filed multiple lawsuits and legal actions against executive orders that: restrict asylum, accelerate deportations, limit gender-affirming care, attack DEI programs and civil-rights protections. (American Civil Liberties Union)

Broader Challenging Policy & Legislative-Scope Efforts by ACLU in 2025

The ACLU says in its 2025 report that it has taken over 200 legal actions — including more than 110 lawsuits — against federal civil-rights rollbacks or overreach under the current administration. (American Civil Liberties Union)
They continue fighting for equitable voting rights across the U.S., opposing laws or executive efforts aimed at voter suppression. (American Civil Liberties Union)
On immigration and immigrants’ rights: ACLU pushes back against mass deportations, secretive detentions, abuses in detention centers, warrantless arrests — using legislation, litigation, and public advocacy. (American Civil Liberties Union)
On civil-liberties more broadly: speech, protest rights, LGBTQ+ and asylum rights, access to healthcare (including abortion or gender-affirming care), due process, and resisting the dismantling of long-established civil-rights protections. (American Civil Liberties Union)

Why 2025 Matters — What’s Different This Year

The current administration has issued a wave of aggressive executive orders on citizenship, immigration, gender/healthcare, diversity/DEI policies, and voting. ACLU responded with legal action immediately. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Courts have so far blocked several flagship moves — e.g. citizenship revocation, restrictive voting-registration rules, asylum/immigration shortcuts — showing the judiciary remains an important check on executive overreach, in part due to ACLU’s involvement. (ACLU of Massachusetts)

This is not a fully complete list of Liberties Union (ACLU) — because (1) the ACLU’s public docket is huge (thousands of cases), and (2) many cases evolve, get dismissed, or change status frequently. However, this is a substantial, representative sample of ACLU lawsuits and challenges currently active (or recently active) in 2025 — across issue areas (voting rights, immigrants’ rights, free speech, LGBTQ+ rights, criminal justice, etc.). This gives a “big-picture snapshot,” and explain how to check for ongoing updates (so you — or anyone — can follow the full docket if needed).

This Is Only A Sample of Notable ACLU Cases & Challenges (2025)

Here’s a cross-section of important ACLU suits/ challenges as of late 2025, with name, issue area, and status

Case / Challenge	Issue Area(s)	Status (as of late 2025)	Notes
Kingdom v. Trump	LGBTQ rights; gender-affirming care in prison	Ongoing (American Civil Liberties Union)	Class action on behalf of transgender people incarcerated in federal custody, challenging policies barring gender-affirming care. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Keohane v. Dixon	LGBTQ rights; prison / incarceration treatment (state corrections)	Ongoing (American Civil Liberties Union)	Challenging a policy change in Florida Department of Corrections eliminating hormone therapy, gender-affirming treatment, and related accommodations. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Coalition for Open Democracy v. Scanlan	Voting rights / voter registration requirements	Ongoing (American Civil Liberties Union)	Lawsuit in New Hampshire challenging a law requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote — argued to impose unconstitutional burdens. (American Civil Liberties Union)
NAACP South Carolina State Conference v. Wilson (with ACLU support/participation in some capacity)	Voting rights / disability & assisted-voting access	Ongoing (American Civil Liberties Union)	Challenges restrictions on who can assist voters with disabilities, under the Voting Rights Act. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Luna Gutierrez v. Noem	Immigrants’ rights / deportation & detention	Ongoing (American Civil Liberties Union)	Immigration-related lawsuit; ACLU is involved in litigation around federal immigration enforcement policies. (American Civil Liberties Union)
ACLU Foundation v. ICE (Virginia / National)	Immigrants’ rights; detention transparency / government transparency	Active (filed Oct 2025) (ACLU of Virginia)	Seeks records from ICE regarding plans to expand immigration detention in Virginia (and more broadly), after a failed FOIA request. (ACLU of Virginia)
Escobar Molina v. Department of Homeland Security	Immigrants’ rights; constitutional rights — arrests / due process	Active as of December 2025 (ACLU of DC)	Challenges warrantless immigration arrests in Washington, D.C. — claims arrests without probable cause violate constitutional protections. (ACLU of DC)
Fell v. Trump (formerly “Stainnak v. Trump”)	First Amendment / employment discrimination / government retaliation	Open / Active (ACLU of DC)	Filed on behalf of federal employees allegedly targeted for participating in DEI-related activities; claims unconstitutional retaliation for political beliefs or associations. (ACLU of DC)
O’Hara v. Beck	Free speech / protest rights / First & Fourth Amendment	Active (2025) (ACLU of DC)	Challenges the detention of a protester in D.C. who was reportedly arrested for a satirical protest against National Guard deployment — raising issues of free speech and unlawful detention. (ACLU of DC)
State-level gerrymandering / redistricting lawsuits (e.g. in Florida: Cubanos Pa’lante v. Florida House of Representatives, Nord Hodges v. Albritton, plus related state-map challenges)	Voting rights / equal representation / racial equity in redistricting	Active as of mid-2025 (ACLU of Florida)	ACLU of Florida is challenging state legislative districts as racially gerrymandered under the Fourteenth Amendment. (ACLU of Florida

This is Only a “Snapshot” — Not a Complete Docket

On its main “Cases” page, ACLU lists 1,636 court cases. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Many cases are filed at the national level, some state-level, and many are in different stages (filed, ongoing, under appeal, settled, dismissed, etc.).
ACLU’s structure: in addition to national-level litigation, there are dozens of state affiliates/chapters (e.g. ACLU of Virginia, Florida, Alaska, etc.), each maintaining its own docket. (ACLU of Virginia)
Because cases are constantly being added, updated, or resolved, any static list will quickly go out of date.

How You (or Anyone) Can Track the Full, Updated ACLU Docket

Use the official ACLU “Court Cases” page — their main site maintains the full list of active and past litigation, across issue areas. (American Civil Liberties Union)
Check state-level ACLU affiliate sites — for example, ACLU of Virginia, Florida, Alaska, etc. Each has a “Cases” section listing their active cases. (ACLU of Virginia)
Filter by issue, date, or type — ACLU sites often allow you to filter by category (e.g. Voting Rights, Immigrants’ Rights, Free Speech, LGBTQ, etc.). (American Civil Liberties Union)
Follow ACLU press releases / news — many new filings and updates are first announced via press releases; these give context and summaries.
Watch for Supreme Court / major federal-level cases — some of the biggest ACLU fights (e.g. redistricting, constitutional rights, federal executive-branch overreach) appear on the “Supreme Court term” list. (American Civil Liberties Union)