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Top Wins for Civil Liberties in 2015

2015 in Review
2015 in Review
Allison Steinberg,
Communications Strategist,
ACLU
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December 28, 2015

We made great progress on key fronts in 2015. We fought to protect our privacy, demanded justice for torture victims, and stood up against pregnancy discrimination. We also won the right for same-sex couples to legally wed, fought for families seeking asylum—and much more. The strides we’ve made in the past year are all due to your support. Thanks to you, the ACLU's impact throughout the country—in courts, legislatures, and the media—resonates across issues and generates new momentum for change.

We hope you share our pride in these considerable achievements, and look forward to continuing our work in the year ahead.

Take a look at some of this year’s victories below.

Criminal Justice

Reforming a Broken Criminal Justice System
We closed or reformed scandalously dangerous prisons and jails in Arizona; Baltimore, Maryland; and Los Angeles and Monterey County, California.

Marriage

Winning the Freedom to Marry
Our Supreme Court victory in Obergefell v. Hodges made same-sex marriage the law of the land. That was the culmination of and advocacy, including 12 state wins just since our 2013 Supreme Court victory in Windsor.

Net Neutrality

Securing Net Neutrality
Intensive ACLU advocacy helped finally to secure “net neutrality,” crucial new Federal Communications Commission rules that prohibit Internet service providers from favoring some content over other content—for example, through the creation of “fast lanes” for websites willing and able to pay providers a premium for faster access to consumers.

Torture

Opposing Torture
Years of ACLU advocacy and litigation helped spur the historic release of the so-called Senate Torture Report on the CIA’s torture of detainees—and made possible our landmark lawsuit on behalf of victims, targeting torture profiteers.

Open for Business

Combating Religious Refusals
In , Colorado, and North Carolina, the ACLU successfully fought efforts to use religion to discriminate against LGBT people.

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