The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky promotes, protects, and defends individuals’ rights guaranteed by the U.S. and Kentucky Constitutions. One of the ways we accomplish that mission is by litigating cases in Kentucky’s state and federal courts that will have a broad impact on civil liberties, either by setting a legal precedent or by affecting the policies and actions of public officials. Our efforts include providing direct legal representation to individuals in certain cases and filing amicus (friend-of-the-court) briefs where significant civil liberties are implicated.

Because our legal efforts focus on defending individuals’ civil liberties, our cases challenge governmental action in a variety of contexts, including challenges to governmental agencies and organizations, municipalities, public schools, and the police.

Among the issues we work on are:

  • freedom of speech,
  • freedom of religion,
  • government-sponsored religious activities,
  • privacy,
  • discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation or disability,
  • and other issues of fair treatment by government.

In general, we do NOT handle cases that involve such things as:

  • evictions

  • landlord-tenant disputes

  • general disputes between employees and employers

  • criminal prosecutions

  • divorce

  • child custody

  • wills

Please note: we generally do not provide direct legal service or immediate legal representation. Due to limited capacity, we will only respond to your online legal intake request if we have additional questions or believe your case may meet our criteria. 

If you believe your rights have been violated and would like to receive help from the ACLU of Kentucky, you may submit a request online or mail a hard copy. Learn more about requesting legal assistance and submit a form here, or click below.

Request legal assistance