American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The ACLU is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and preserving individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and laws, frequently litigating high‑profile civil‑rights cases. - Lead plaintiff‑side litigator against EO 14160

On January 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160, "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," directing federal agencies to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born on U.S. soil if their mother was in the country unlawfully or only on a temporary visa and the father was neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent resident. The order directly challenges more than 125 years of legal consensus, grounded in the 14th Amendment and the Supreme Court's 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, that nearly everyone born in the United States is a citizen at birth regardless of parental status.

Updated Yesterday

The ACLU filed suit within hours of the March 2025 deportations, arguing the Alien Enemies Act was invoked illegally. - Lead counsel challenging AEA deportations

The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked only four times in American history—during the War of 1812, World War I, World War II, and now. In March 2025, President Trump became the first president to use the 1798 wartime statute outside of a declared war, targeting alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and sending 137 men to El Salvador's maximum-security CECOT prison within 24 hours. On February 12, 2026, a federal judge ordered the government to facilitate their return to the United States, ruling they were denied the right to challenge their removal.

Updated Feb 12

National civil liberties organization filing constitutional challenges to immigration enforcement practices. - Lead counsel in Hussen v. Noem class-action lawsuit

The Department of Homeland Security deployed 3,000 federal agents to Minneapolis in what it calls the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history. Two months in, two U.S. citizens are dead—Renee Good, 37, shot January 7, and Alexander Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse shot January 24—both killed after DHS claims of self-defense that witness videos contradict. Within 72 hours of Pretti's death, President Trump removed Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and dispatched Border Czar Tom Homan to take direct control. Homan arrived January 27, met with Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, and announced January 29 that federal withdrawal depends on state cooperation—specifically access to undocumented immigrants in jails and prisons. Bovino departed Minnesota January 28. On January 30, activists executed a 'National Shutdown'—a nationwide day of no work, no school, no shopping—protesting the operation, with hundreds of Minnesota businesses closing and student walkouts across all 50 states. That same day, Attorney General Keith Ellison publicly denied Homan's claims that they had reached any agreement on jail access, calling Homan's statements misleading. Hours later, the Justice Department announced a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti's death, though Trump undercut the gesture by calling Pretti an 'agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist' in a 1:26 a.m. social media post after video emerged of an earlier confrontation with agents.

Updated Jan 31

National organization defending civil liberties, with state affiliates in New York, New Jersey, and Louisiana joining Khalil's legal team. - Lead counsel representing Khalil

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 gave the Secretary of State power to deport noncitizens whose presence threatens U.S. foreign policy. For seven decades, that authority gathered dust. Then, on March 8, 2025, ICE agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil—a Columbia graduate student and green card holder—from his university apartment, invoking the Cold War-era statute to target him for his role negotiating on behalf of pro-Palestinian protesters.

Updated Jan 30

National civil liberties organization representing both transgender student athletes before the Supreme Court. - Lead counsel for plaintiffs in both cases

The Supreme Court heard over three hours of oral arguments on January 13, 2026, in two cases that will determine whether states can bar transgender students from competing on sports teams matching their gender identity. During the proceedings, the Court's conservative majority signaled strong support for upholding state restrictions, though several justices appeared wary of issuing an overly broad ruling. The cases—Little v. Hecox from Idaho and West Virginia v. B.P.J.—challenge laws under both Title IX and the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.

Updated Jan 13

Civil liberties organization litigating against Trump immigration policies. - Leading legal challenges against Trump asylum restrictions

A Trump-era rule takes effect December 31, 2025, allowing immigration officials to deny asylum to anyone deemed a security threat because of communicable diseases during public health emergencies. Originally published in December 2020 and scheduled to go live three weeks later, the rule was delayed five times by Biden's DHS but never killed. Now it becomes law under Trump's second term, despite no active pandemic.

Updated Dec 31, 2025

National civil liberties organization that led legal challenges to Trump's first-term travel bans. - Challenged travel bans in 2017-2018, active on other Trump immigration policies in 2025

Trump signed his first travel ban seven days into his presidency, blocking entry from seven Muslim-majority countries and igniting protests at airports nationwide. Courts blocked it within a week. Eight years later, after Supreme Court victories, a Biden reversal, and a return to power, Trump's December 2025 expansion restricts entry from 39 countries—affecting one in eight people worldwide and eliminating exemptions that previously protected immediate family members of U.S. citizens.

Updated Dec 28, 2025

The nation's premier civil liberties organization, defending constitutional rights through litigation and advocacy. - Lead litigation counsel challenging detention policy

In July 2025, the Trump administration declared that anyone who crossed the border illegally—even decades ago—is subject to indefinite detention without a bond hearing. The policy affects millions and has kept thousands locked up for months or years while their deportation cases grind through the courts. On December 19 and 26, 2025, federal judges in Massachusetts and California certified classes and ruled the policy unlawful, potentially freeing tens of thousands of detained immigrants to seek release.

Updated Dec 27, 2025

The ACLU brought a surveillance-skeptic lens into a market-regulation setting. - Provided a civil-liberties critique of expanded financial surveillance

The SEC spent years telling crypto: “We can’t see you, so we can’t trust you.” Now it’s hosting a public, recorded forum on the most explosive question in the space: how much visibility regulators should demand—and how much privacy Americans should keep.

Updated Dec 15, 2025