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News & Commentary
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Immigrant Voices: Freedom to be Pastor Manuel and Pastor Laura

Pastor Manuel and his wife, Pastor Laura, lead a church in Newport News. As Trump unleashes ICE, they find themselves not only providing spiritual support to their members, but also helping them navigate detention, deportation, and family separation. Here’s their story.
Initiative
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We the People of Virginia

We The People of Virginia is the ACLU of Virginia’s flagship project telling a different story about Virginia: the vibrant, diverse, and resilient people who call Virginia home.
Know Your Rights
A person holds up a protest sign that says "America would be nothing without immigrants." To the right is a person holding another persons hand.

Know Your Rights: Interacting with ICE in the DMV

Make an emergency plan to protect you and your family in the event of a fire, natural disaster, or an encounter with ICE.
Action | Take Action
Over a blue abstract shape is a cropped graphic of lady liberty's hand holding up the torch. In the middle of the torch are protest signs that say, "reproductive freedom," "voting rights," "people not prisons," "LGBTQ+ rights," and "Stop the book bans." To the left is a green scribble.

Become a Member

We fight every day in the courts, in the legislature, and in our communities to create a Virginia for all. But we can’t do it alone.

Press Releases

Aug 20, 2026

Federal judge rules Virginia may no longer deny registration for hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised voters

“The court’s order makes clear once and for all that the Commonwealth cannot deprive hundreds of thousands of eligible voters their right to register and cast their votes,” said ACLU-VA Legal Director Eden Heilman.

Aug 4, 2026

Families sue King George County School Board for blocking LGBTQ+ student organization in violation of the First Amendment

“The First Amendment and Equal Access Act protect all students, and the school board cannot pick and choose who the rules apply to," said ACLU-VA Staff Attorney Julia Kahn.

Jul 31, 2026

Virginians’ license plate messages are not government speech but private speech protected by the First Amendment

“Today the Court of Appeals reaffirmed what courts across the country have already found: that messages conveyed on vanity license plates constitute private speech protected by the First Amendment,” said ACLU-VA Legal Director Eden Heilman.

Issues We're Monitoring

Criminal Legal Reform First Amendment Rights Immigrants' Rights LGBTQ+ Rights Reproductive Rights Voting Rights View All Issues

Know Your Rights: Voting in Virginia

Voting is our right and our civic responsibility. Our democracy is stronger when everyone participates. Know your voting rights and make a plan to vote as early as possible.
Explore Your Rights
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Featured Case

We are taking legal action to defend immigrants' rights, protect transgender people from discrimination, fight back against censorship efforts, and do so much more to defend civil rights and civil liberties across the Commonwealth.
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Z.J.W. v. King George County School Board

The ACLU of Virginia and Potomac Law Group filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two students who were denied the opportunity to form a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at King George Middle School (KGMS) even as other noncurricular student groups were allowed to operate.