Fellowship Sponsorship

ACLU of Alaska Executive Director Mara Kimmel announces retirement. Kimmel will serve as executive director until the role is filled May 1, 2026 12:00 am After a varied and distinguished career as an advocate, attorney, educator, and public servant, Mara Kimmel, Executive Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska, has announced her upcoming retirement. She will serve as executive director while the organization's board of directors conduct a nationwide search for a new leader. Kimmel has been the executive director since May 9, 2022. "I am grateful to the ACLU of Alaska, our team, and the people of my state for rising to meet the civil rights challenges of our time," said Kimmel. "The opportunity to lead this organization has been a great honor. Together, we have made meaningful progress in advancing and protecting the rights of all Alaskans. The promise of our state lies in the opportunity and responsibility each of us has to ensure justice for all, and the ACLU of Alaska is committed to making a positive difference for the future of Alaska." Like many Alaskans, Kimmel came to Alaska for a summer and never left. She was welcomed by the Chugachmuit people of southcentral Alaska during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and has since worked all over the state - with tribes on subsistence and sovereignty rights, as an immigration lawyer, political science professor, governmental and campaign strategist, consultant, non-profit founder, and community organizer. The throughline is a belief and dedication to the principles and people that give Alaska its potential. Kimmel has received many recognitions marking her contributions to Alaska, including induction into the ATHENA Society, acknowledgment as a YWCA Woman of Achievement, and the Alaska Bar Association's Distinguished Service award. "Mara was the right leader at the right time with the right vision and the right values. Her service as executive director has strengthened our organization and advanced the rights and liberties of Alaskans during a time of extraordinary stress" said Rich Curtner, board president for the ACLU of Alaska. "Mara's leadership over the last four years positioned the ACLU as a strong partner in Alaska's justice ecosystem. With Mara at the helm, the organization demonstrated capability and credibility with policymakers, fellow non-profit leaders, and Alaska's legal community." During Kimmel's tenure, the affiliate achieved landmark victories and growth, including: * Bringing landmark litigation to protect election integrity, ensure quality medical care for people in DOC custody, secure fair treatment of unhoused Alaskans, fight for the rights of queer and trans youth, fighting censorship in its schools, and more. * Launching the ACLU of Alaska's immigrant rights program, and the development of an immigrants' rights coalition and immigrant legal corps . * Expanding access to justice for Alaskans through growing strong community partnerships and offering regular high quality legal clinics to educate Alaskans about its legal rights and responsibilities. * Building the capacity of the ACLU of Alaska to address critical civil rights needs by adding staff through the Alaska Fellows Program and the Skadden Legal Fellowship. "We will greatly miss Mara's vision and leadership, but her impact will endure as we expand from the strong foundation that she built," added Curtner. The ACLU of Alaska Board of Directors will work with Nokomis Strategies, an Alaska-based search firm, to select a new executive director, a process that is expected to begin in early summer. Kimmel will stay in her role until the new executive director is in place. By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU's privacy statement. All fields are required unless labeled optional.

ACLU launches national ad campaign featuring Bruce Springsteen's "born in the U.S.A." Highlighting landmark Birthright Citizenship Supreme Court case. The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a national ad campaign ahead of the organization's April 1 arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on a landmark case challenging America's constitutional right to birthright citizenship. The campaign, which represents an uplifting visual tapestry of what it means to be an American, features Bruce Springsteen's iconic anthem "Born in the U.S.A." In a rare move, Springsteen authorized the ACLU's use of the song to highlight what's at stake in the Supreme Court case, Trump v. Barbara, and how the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship is integral to American values and the very fabric of its nation. "Bruce Springsteen's song 'Born in the U.S.A.' is an American anthem. It captures what birthright citizenship has made possible for generations: the simple, powerful guarantee that if you are born here, you belong here, if you're born in the USA, you're an American. Period," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU. "As the ACLU prepares to defend this bedrock principle in the highest court of the land, we are joined by millions of Americans who agree that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution - not President Trump - decides who is a citizen." Titled, "The Beat," the ad campaign was produced as a partnership between Stink, Creative Artists Agency, and the ACLU, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Anderson Wright. The campaign centers on a nationally distributed video airing across broadcast and digital platforms, including during quintessential American primetime programs such as MLB's opening game day, Survivor, The Voice finale, and more. The 30-second television spot will debut on March 23 in advance of the ACLU's oral arguments before the Supreme Court on April 1. A digital billboard will also appear outside Minneapolis' Target Center from March 30-31, coinciding with the launch of Springsteen's 2026 Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour in the city. Opening with the unmistakable drumbeat that gives the campaign its name, the video highlights everyday moments across the country - in classrooms, on job sites, at family gatherings, and at civic milestones. What begins as a solitary rhythm in an empty middle school band room builds into a cross-country portrait of people working, learning, celebrating, and contributing to their communities. The ad culminates with a visual of Americans from different generations and backgrounds closing with the message: "Protect Birthright Citizenship." Background on Trump v. Barbara On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order attempting to deny birthright citizenship for babies born in the United States to parents without permanent legal status. Within hours of the executive order being signed, the ACLU and its partners challenged the order in court, securing rulings that have prevented it from taking effect. Multiple courts have found the policy unconstitutional and inconsistent with longstanding Supreme Court precedent. The Supreme Court will now consider, in Trump v. Barbara, whether a president can unilaterally restrict the Constitution's guarantee of citizenship to children born on U.S. soil. On April 1, the court will hear oral arguments from the ACLU's National Legal Director Cecillia Wang who has spent more than 20 years at the ACLU and is herself a birthright citizen. Background on "Born in the U.S.A." Released in 1984, "Born in the U.S.A." debuted at a moment of national strain and reflection, telling the story of a Vietnam veteran returning home to economic hardship, neglect, and an America he no longer recognized. The song called on the nation to live up to its ideals. Decades later, as the Supreme Court considers whether to continue to guarantee citizenship at birth, the song resonates in a new constitutional context, drawing renewed attention to what it means, in law and lived experience, to be born in the United States. The 30-second cut of the ad can be found here. The full 60-second ad can be found here.

Judge refuses Brown University's request to dismiss arrest records lawsuit. By: Christopher Shea - March 24, 2026 3:15 pm updated 4:49 pm. A Brown University Police cruiser seen parked outside the school's bookstore on Thayer Street in Providence on Dec. 16, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) A Superior Court judge on Tuesday rejected Brown University's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Rhode Island over access to arrest reports by its campus police. The bench decision by Associate Justice Shannon Signore allows the case challenging whether the private school is subject to Rhode Island's public records law to continue. The complaint filed in Providence County Superior Court June 2, 2025, was prompted by a pair of journalists who were separately refused reports of unrelated arrests made by Brown University's Department of Public Safety (BDPS) in 2022 and 2023. Brown University had contended that the officers work for a private agency, and therefore are not subject to Rhode Island's Access to Public Records Act. But the ACLU contends the university's public safety department is a public body since its officers have the same authority as state police officers. Attorneys representing Brown filed a motion to dismiss the case on Aug. 22, arguing that any complaint about the university's police withholding records was moot since they are given to the Providence Police Department, which is subject to the state's public records law. "In fact, one of the plaintiffs obtained the reports he sought from the city of Providence," the filing noted. But the ability to obtain police records from the city does not resolve the statutory violation, the ACLU argued in its own court filing submitted March 10. "And BDPS continues to deny any obligation to comply with APRA now or in the future - creating a live controversy appropriate for judicial resolution and calling for a declaratory judgment," the ACLU's memo in opposition to Brown's dismissal stated. Steven Brown, executive director for the ACLU of Rhode Island, celebrated the court's decision to let the case play out. "We believe it is clear that the Brown University Police, with the power that they wield, should be as transparent and open as any other police department," he said in a statement. Brian Clark, a spokesperson for Brown, said the university looks forward to presenting its case as the matter proceeds in the months ahead. "As the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General affirmed in an Open Government finding in 2025, the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act (APRA) does not apply to private university police departments," Clarke said in an emailed statement to Rhode Island Current. "This has long been the case, and we are prepared to mount a strong effort to make clear the many reasons why." * 4:49 pmUpdated to include comment from Brown University spokesperson Brian Clark. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.