Who Are We?

The NYCLU is the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to defending individual liberties under the Bill of Rights.

What Are Civil Liberties?

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:

• Freedom of speech - this is not just the right to speak freely, but to read, write, listen, use the public streets and parks for protest and parades, and express oneself symbolically as well.;
• Freedom of the press - the government may neither censor nor compel printed speech;
• Freedom of assembly - individuals may associate with whomever they wish and may act together to increase their political effectiveness;
• Freedom of religion - the right to exercise one's own religion, or no religion, free from any government influence or compulsion;
• Due process of law - fair procedure for those criminally charged whenever the loss of liberty or property is at stake;
• Equality before the law - freedom from discrimination on the basis of nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability, or socio-economic status;
• Privacy - freedom from unwarranted and unwanted government intrusion into one's personal and private affairs, information, and possessions.

How do these rights on paper get translated into real life? Here are some of the people we've helped, both in and out of court:

• A student editor denied press freedom
• A fire fighter suspended for publishing a letter critical of department operations
• Jail inmates denied privileges when only one misbehaved
• A group of Asian Indian students, but no whites, arrested for gathering on their school playground
• A homeowner whose political lawn sign was confiscated by the police
• A parent denied the right to videotape a school board meeting
• A young man arrested for Walking While Black in a white neighborhood.

What Do We Actually Do?

In addition to litigation, we hold public meetings on civil liberties issues to increase awareness so that people can fight for their own rights. We also lobby state and federal lawmakers to try to persuade them to pass fair laws.

The Nassau chapter has, over the past 46 years, an extraordinary record of legal accomplishments. Not only have we litigated or settled hundreds of cases affecting Nassau residents, we have also won at least four local institutional reform cases of national significance. As a result of Nassau cases:

• schools can no longer impose compulsory school prayer
• district trustees can't ban books from libraries based on personal prejudices
• one person, one vote standard invalidates Board of Supervisors and results in councilmanic districts with representation for persons of color
• residential assessment system based on 1938 cost of construction is racially discriminatory.

If you have a First Amendment claim - speech, religion, press or assembly - or if are a victim of an unfair law or rule of a public agency, such as the schools, police, the jail, civil service or local government, help yourself by calling or e-mailing us.

New York Civil Liberties Union

Nassau Chapter

250 Fulton Avenue, Suite 514A

Hempstead, New York 11550

Tel: 516-741-8520

Fax: 516-741-8534

E-mail: nassau@nyclu.org

NYCLU's homepage

ACLU's homepage

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If you live in Nassau County, please consider volunteering! There are countless ways to get involved and it's a great chance to feel like you doing something productive and proactive.

If you're interested in volunteering, email us!