American Center for Law and Justice

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is a non-profit public interest law firm committed to protecting the religious and constitutional freedoms of American families. The ACLJ engages in litigation, provides legal services, and renders advice to individuals and governmental agencies, as well as counsel clients on global freedom and liberty issues. The nationwide network of more than 300 attorneys at the ACLJ do not charge for their legal services and also support training law students from around the world in order to protect religious liberty and safeguard human rights and dignity. The ACLJ demonstrates a patriotic, pro-American stance, contrary to the ACLU, from which the ACLJ was founded in response from.

ACLJ is working across the nation to:
 * Protect life at all stages
 * Ensure the free exercise of religion
 * Promote equal access to public spaces for faith-based groups
 * Defend the right of free speech for people of faith
 * Support traditional marriage

History
The ACLJ was formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1990, and its national headquarters is now located in Washington, D.C. – just steps away from the Supreme Court and Congress. The Chief Counsel of the ACLJ (Jay Sekulow) has litigated cases at all levels of the judiciary – from the federal district court level to the Supreme Court of the United States. He has successfully argued several precedent-setting cases before the Supreme Court including:


 * Protecting the free speech rights of pro-life demonstrators.
 * Safeguarding the constitutional rights of religious groups to have equal access to public facilities.
 * Ensuring that public school students could form and participate in religious organizations, including Bible clubs, on campus.
 * Guaranteeing that minors could participate in the political process by protecting their free speech rights in the political setting.

In addition to its religious liberties work, the ACLJ has also focused on constitutional law involving the issues of national security, human life, marriage, judicial nominations, pornography, and protecting patriotic expression including our national motto and the Pledge of Allegiance. Read descriptions of the United States Supreme Court cases litigated by the ACLJ.

News Archive by the American Center for Law and Justice

Current Efforts
Visit the ACLJ Newsroom for current press releases, or search the litigation report by U.S. state to see what the ACLJ is currently working on in your area. Email updates of current activities and calls for assistance can be obtained by signing up on the ACLJ website.

De-fund Planned Parenthood
Add your name to the group of 15712 people who have already signed the petition to stop the federal funding of abortion. Every year, the federal government hands over millions of our tax dollars to Planned Parenthood. It is a travesty of justice that you are essentially being forced to fund the largest abortion promoter and provider in America. The ACLJ is determined to STOP this offensive misuse of our tax dollars — by standing in support of legislation that calls for an end to government funding of Planned Parenthood.

Protecting 10 Commandments Monuments
For several years, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has been active in combating humanist and atheist groups who are attempting to have Ten Commandments monuments removed from public areas.

The most recent fight involves demands put forth in 2007 by a group called Summum to have the Utah cities of Pleasant Grove City and Duchesne City erect monuments containing what they call the “Seven Aphorisms”. This organization is contending that if the Ten Commandments are displayed then their "Seven Aphorisms" must also be displayed. The Tenth Circuit ruled that private parties have a First Amendment right to put up the monuments of their choosing in a city park, unless the city takes away all other donated monuments. In August 2007, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit split 6-6 over a request for the full appeals court to rehear two cases. If these lower court decisions are not overturned, cities and states could either be forced to dismantle a host of monuments, memorials, and other displays including long-standing patriotic and historical displays or else let all comers install privately owned monuments or displays, regardless of content. However, on March 31, 2008, the ACLJ announced that the Supreme Court granted ACLJ’s Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the case of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (No. 07-665).


 * Read the Petition in the case of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
 * ACLJ Pleased Supreme Court Takes Utah Case Read the news release by the ACLJ and see a video message by Jay Sekulow.

Multimedia Outreach
In addition to their website the ACLJ has a hosts two nationally syndicated broadcast programs: Jay Sekulow Live, a daily radio broadcast and ACLJ This Week, a nationally broadcast 30-minute weekly television program. Both feature current issues in Law and Justice and are hosted by ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow. RSS feeds of ACLJ News and podcasts of audio and video files are also available.

For other multimedia options - see website.