Legal Advocacy
The ACLU of Maryland’s legal program works with residents and partners across the state to realize the promise of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, with a focus on using the courts to protect and expand the rights of Marylanders – especially those whose rights have not been respected in the past due to white supremacy ingrained in our justice system.
Over the years, legal staff have worked to build a more just Maryland one lawsuit at a time, with cases ranging from challenges to racially discriminatory election systems, leading to election of the first Black candidates to state and local offices on the Eastern Shore; to spearheading an innovative state constitutional challenge to underfunding of Baltimore’s education system that steals the futures of Black and Brown children; to filing the nation’s first civil lawsuit challenging police racial profiling on America’s highways; to working with people imprisoned since childhood for a second chance at freedom, long-since earned.
In all of our legal work, we center the voices and experiences of people and communities directly impacted by injustice.
LEGAL DOCKET (2024-2025)
As 2025 unfolds, the ACLU of Maryland legal department is facing one of the most challenging times ever as we push back against the authoritarian offensive against civil rights being mounted by the second Trump Administration – while continuing our dedicated work advancing racial and social justice throughout Maryland. Many legal challenges to Administration policies – by the National ACLU and other civil rights advocates – are being filed in federal court in Maryland, giving us a unique opportunity to engage in some of the most impactful litigation of our time.
In the report, we walk you through our recent and ongoing work in the courts, categorized by strategic priority, highlighting some of our memorable legal efforts. While this report focuses primarily on our work in the court system, litigation is just a part of what we do in the legal department.