Since its founding in 1935, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa has protected the basic freedoms and liberties of everyone in our state.

We are a private, non-partisan organization that fights to advance civil liberties and uphold the Iowa and U.S. Constitutions. We are the state affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU prides itself in upholding everyone's civil liberties, no matter who they are or what they believe.

We work in the courts, in the Iowa legislature, and through public education and advocacy to assure the rights of everyone in Iowa—from atheists to devout Christians, from labor unions to businesspeople and more—to make sure that the constitutional rights of all are preserved.

Key issues we work on include:

  • Freedom of speech, expression, and the press
  • Racial justice 
  • LGBTQ rights
  • Student rights 
  • Personal privacy and security
  • Open government and records
  • Reproductive freedom
  • Religious freedom and separation of church and state
  • Rights of immigrants
  • Women's rights
  • Criminal justice reform 
  • Voting rights 
  • Disability rights

Find out more about the history of the ACLU of Iowa.