Legal

Can We Help?

Can ACLU of Indiana help me?

The ACLU of Indiana is a private organization which seeks to preserve and extend certain constitutional principals. The Constitution authorizes and limits governmental actions and thus for ACLU of Indiana to become involved in your complaint there must be some governmental action about which you complain. The “government” is a broad term which includes anything from a municipality, a public school, or the police. It would not be involved in a dispute with your employer unless of course you work for the government.

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

In general, we do not handle cases that involve such things as:

• evictions,
• landlord-tenant disputes,
• general disputes between employees and employers
  (unless your employer is the government. For example this refers to disputes centering on wages and hours),
• criminal prosecutions,
• divorce,
• child custody, or
• wills.

If your need for legal assistance involves any of these areas, please click here for other legal resources in Indiana.

The ACLU is neither a government agency nor a general legal services organization. We have limited resources and staff and are unable to pursue every case that comes to our attention. All requests for legal assistance must be submitted in writing. Our limited staff and financial resources prevent us from conducting office interviews; therefore we ask that you submit all information in writing. 

If you believe your rights have been violated and would like to receive help from the ACLU of Indiana, please click here to fill out our online complaint form.