The American Civil Liberties Union is our nation's guardian of liberty, working in the courts, legislature and the community to defend and preserve individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution (with heavy focus on the Bill of Rights) and the laws of the United States. As they work to limit unwarranted governmental power and for a more representative government, they do not accept any funds from government sources, relying solely on individual memberships and foundation grants. Nationally, they have 500,000 members and in TX, 17,000+ members, making it the largest affiliate in the nation. The Central Texas chapter membership comprises 1/5+ of the state total. The ACLU of Texas advocates personal privacy, freedom from unreasonable searches, religious liberty, humane treatment of prisoners, reproductive rights, and freedom from unconstitutional discrimination.
The Central Texas chapter (a volunteer-based board) of the ACLU-TX is arguably the most active in the state, if not the country by some accounts, and focuses generally on local police accountability and open government. They strive to work in coalition, when possible, with other community groups - from across the political spectrum for maximum effectiveness in shaping policy for the better. Join us for the February Potluck to learn more about the local chapter. You can also go to http://www.aclutx.org/chapters/austin.php, http://www.aclutx.org/about.php and download this pdf document at http://www.aclutx.org/files/History%20ACLU%20in%20Texas.pdf