JOIN

Help defend civil liberties by joining or renewing your membership.

JOIN NOW
DONATE

Help by becoming a monthly giver or making a one-time gift.

DONATE NOW

Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country, including:

  • Your First Amendment rights - freedom of speech, association and assembly; freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
  • Your right to equal protection under the law - protection against unlawful discrimination.
  • Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
  • Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; and prisoners.

 
 

ACLU Montana Blog

  • 'Dead Man Walking' at 20 -- still working to end death penaltyWhen Dead Man Walking was published 20 years ago, author Sister Helen Prejean never imagined her book about working with death row inmates would be made into a movie or the impact it would have on the public perception of capital punishment. But 20 years later, the true-life account continues to cha ...
    Readmore...
  • It's official. Your genes do not belong to any company.The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a fantastic unanimous decision today, confirming what the ACLU has been saying for the past few years -- human genes are a product of nature and cannot be patented. This decision, involving the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, is so important for the women's health. Mutation ...
    Readmore...
  • The Lovings: 46 years ago today they defeated ban on interracial marriage We spend a lot of time these days talking about same-sex couples, but less than 50 years ago, the ACLU was working hard to help interracial couples. The Lovings were the pair that brought the case that finally struck down bans of interracial marriage - Loving v. Virginia. Today is the 46th anniversa ...
    Readmore...
  • It's an honor, your honorThis blog entry by ACLU of Montana LGBT Organizer Liz Welch first ran at FairIsFairMontana.org. Fair is Fair Montana is proud of the newest member of our Faces of Fairness:  Retired Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim C Nelson.  Although he is new to our Faces of Fairness, Justice Nelson ha ...
    Readmore...

We're hiring

The ACLU of Montana is seeking a new legal director.


Public Defense

50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that poor defendants have a right to a public defender, underfunding of public defense continues to be a problem. Learn more.


2013 Montana Legislative Session

We saw major victories for privacy and voting rights this session. Learn about the good, bad and ugly of what happened at the Capitol in our 2013 Montana Legislative Summary.


Sign-up for E-lerts

You can help protect civil liberties.Sign up to have alerts e-mailed to you.


Spring 2013 Newsletter

Overview of the 2013 Legislative Session, ways to reduce solitary confinement, death penalty abolition and more.


Fair is Fair

Support a Montana where everyone is valued.

Read more


Helena Nondiscrimination Ordinance

The city of Helena passed an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance on Dec.17, protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in housing employment and public accommodations.

Read more


Religion and Public Schools

Students have a right to religious freedom. Our new guide explains how that right must be protected in public schools.

MT Supreme Court rules domestic partnership case can move forward

The Montana Supreme Court issued a decision ruling against the ACLU's request for immediate full domestic partnership protection for same-sex couples, but said that the case could move forward challenging same-sex couples' lack of protection in individual statutes.

Read more


2012 Rankin Awards

On Dec. 1 we honored Planned Parenthood of Montana and Flathead High School senior Barrie Sue Sugarman for their work protecting civil liberties.

Read more