ACSBlog: The Blog of the American Constitution Society

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. Founded in 2001, ACS is comprised of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, policymakers, activists and other concerned individuals who are working to ensure that the fundamental principles of human dignity, individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice are in their rightful, central place in American law.

Today, American values, our constitutional heritage, and the freedoms and opportunities of our people are being undermined by a narrow, conservative approach to the law which lacks appropriate regard for the ways in which the law affects people's lives and that has come to dominate American law and public policy - from law school classrooms to legislative hearing rooms to federal courtrooms. This conservative vision, advanced by a highly organized movement, threatens to undermine the true promise of our Constitution.

ACS is committed to fostering a progressive vision of the law on issues such as access to the courts; anti-discrimination and affirmative action; civil liberties; consumer rights; criminal justice; disability rights; freedom of speech; gay rights; international human rights; immigration; labor law; open government; privacy; protection of health, safety and the environment; and women's rights and reproductive choice.

With national programming and over 100 law school and lawyer chapters all across the country, ACS is working to:

- Promote a progressive vision of the Constitution, the law and public policy through speaking programs, an annual convention, a speakers bureau of leading scholars and practitioners, media outreach, and publications designed to turn the tide of legal debate both locally and nationally;

- Educate lawyers, law students, decision-makers and the public about the legitimacy and vitality of such a vision, and its importance for the lives of real people;

- Strengthen the intellectual underpinnings for progressive law and policy in the United States; and

- Build a diverse and dynamic national network of students, lawyers, academics, judges and policymakers that can play an important role in debates about the vital issues of law and policy facing America both today and in the future.