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About ACS
Mission: The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan legal organization. Through a diverse nationwide network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, advocates, and many others, our mission is to support and advocate for laws and legal systems that strengthen our democratic legitimacy, uphold the rule of law, and redress the founding failures of our Constitution and enduring inequities in our laws in pursuit of realized equality.
Vision: Our vision is of a multi-racial, representative democracy that includes:
- A judiciary that reflects the diversity of the public it serves, interprets the U.S. Constitution through the backdrop of history and through the lens of lived experience, and protects democratic guardrails, upholds the rule of law, and vindicates fundamental rights;
- Democratic institutions that uphold the rule of law, guard against the abuse of power, and promote laws and policies that advance realized equality; and
- A robust and diverse legal civil society that actively promotes progressive legal transformation and redress of the founding failures of our Constitution and of our laws and legal systems.
Shaping Debate
Through our public programs (over 1,100 debates, conferences and press briefings across America each year), publications, and active on-line presence, ACS generates “intellectual capital” for ready use by progressive allies and shapes debates on key legal and public policy issues.
Building Networks
The engine that drives the organization’s work is its rapidly growing nationwide network of student and lawyer chapters in 48 states and almost every law school.
Making a Difference
The strength of ACS’s ideas and the scope of its nationwide network enable it to make a difference in legal and public policy debates and ensure that law is a force to improve the lives of all people.