American Civil Liberties Union of Washington

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, or ACLU, is a non-governmental organization (NGO) whose stated goal is to "defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person ... by the Constitution and laws of the United States." Lawsuits brought by the ACLU have been influential in several important developments in U.S. constitutional law, and it has over 400,000 members as of 2005. The ACLU provides lawyers and legal expertise in cases where it believes an individual's or group of individuals' rights are being violated by the government. In many cases where it does not provide legal representation, the ACLU submits amicus curiae briefs in support of its positions. The ACLU has never officially supported or opposed a political candidate, and is not aligned with any political party, though it has been harshly critical of various elected officials of both major parties over the years. The ACLU is one of the most influential NGOs in the United States today; often controversial, its stances have engendered criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.

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