Get Help

Our office handles civil liberties and civil rights matters arising in the state of Washington. If your issue arises elsewhere, contact the ACLU office in that area. To find the address for the appropriate affiliate, go to this portion of the national ACLU website.

Among the issues we work on are freedom of speech, freedom of religion, privacy, discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation or disability, police misconduct, censorship in school or libraries, fairness in application of school discipline, access to government documents, inhumane jail and prison conditions, and other issues of fair treatment by government.

What We Do

• We offer information in response to specific inquiries or concerns.
• We coach people on how to assert their own rights and sometimes advocate on their behalf.
• When we can't help, we refer people to other organizations that may be able to.
• We undertake lawsuits in matters that raise civil liberties or civil rights issues that affect the lives of many people. However, the number of cases that we take is relatively small.
• We also provide general information and speakers to schools and community groups, and offer comments before governmental bodies. For more information about our educational services, contact our Communications Department.

What We Don't Do

The ACLU is not a general legal services organization, and we normally cannot provide emergency services.

Although there are exceptions, the ACLU does not generally assist in these types of cases: criminal defense, post-conviction appeals, divorce custody matters, property disputes, tax problems, landlord-tenant disputes, or appeals of building code violations, where a person has been fired from a job without a good reason, or complaints against lawyers or judges. Exceptions would occur only when these issues raise a clear and new civil liberties issue.

To Get Help

Learn how to get help. In-person interviews are generally not possible, although translators and ASL signers can be arranged.

Si necesita comunicarse con un hispanohablante puede escribirnos a la siguiente dirección:

P.O. Box 4115
Seattle, WA 98194

Learn more about how we decide to take on a legal case.