American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American organization dedicated to preserve the civil liberties of American people, especially the rights guaranteed in the First Amendment (freedom of speech and religion) and Fourth Amendment (prohibition of unreasonable search and seizure). It educates the public and actively litigates in the judicial system, and has divisions on different subjects such as voting rights, LGBT rights, privacy, and drug policy. Notable past and present members of ACLU include Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, lawyer Clarence Darrow, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, and progressive leader Jane Addams.

Over the years, however, the ACLU been embroiled into controversies over its stances on various hot-button issues, such as its advocacy of removing religious reference from government buildings, opposition to Intelligent Design, gay rights, among others. ACLU has also been criticized for failing to protect the Second Amendment rights of gun ownership.