Constitutional rights, or civil liberties, are individual rights that may not be violated or taken away by the government nor voted away by the people. They are embodied in the Bill of Rights and other amendments that were added to the U.S. Constitution in order to protect personal liberty from government power and from majority rule.

Those rights include freedom of speech, religion, press and assembly, rights of due process, equal protection and privacy. Our mission is to preserve all of the protections and guarantees afforded in the United States and New York Constitutions. In furtherance of that mission, we work to protect:

Litigation and Advocacy: As the local presence of the ACLU, we may provide volunteer lawyers to represent you in court, but more often we resolve valid complaints by persuasion, with phone calls, letters or face-to-face meetings.

Public Education: Defending civil liberties is more than going to court. It means educating the public about their rights so citizens know when to speak up. We hold public meetings on current issues; publish pamphlets on job rights, student rights and understanding civil liberties; hold conferences, and send members to speak to local organizations and to school groups.

Lobbying: Defending civil liberties also means monitoring government actions and lobbying our legislators to pass good laws and oppose bad laws. For example, we testified at State Assembly hearings urging legislators not to revive the death penalty.

Over the 46-year history of the Nassau Chapter, we’ve racked up quite a few accomplishments.  To read about what we’ve done in more detail, please visit our (slightly) abridged memoirs.