
Defending Dissent
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Supporting the Struggle
Civil Liberties Defense Center supports movements that seek to dismantle the political and economic structures at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction. We provide litigation, education, legal and strategic resources to strengthen and embolden their success.
CLDC educates, supports and defends grassroots activists nationwide. We are dedicated to being a backbone for the grassroots and the frontlines. We help activists navigate the legal system, we represent them at no cost when they are arrested and we help them make smart choices in the face of state repression. We provide the necessary legal support so that activists can have long, sustainable lifetimes fighting in the movement for justice.
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When everyone feels like a target of the federal government, CLDC continues to stand up and defend those who are most at risk. We are experienced and tested movement lawyers who understand that every case may be a battle for liberation, the survival of the planet, and all who live upon it. Since the presidential election, we have experienced a surge in requests for legal support and trainings: the State is expanding its target list and adding violent military responses every day, so we’re armoring up with every legal tool we have. Now, we ask you to help us increase our capacity to add more movement lawyers to our team to support people and movements most at risk nationwide.
LATEST NEWS
From the FACE Act to Illegal Surveillance: The Federal Prosecution of the Righteous 39 and the MN 15
The Trump administration is weaponizing federal law to criminalize anti-ICE protesters. In Minnesota, 39 activists face federal prosecution as government investigators stand accused of illegally using customs summonses to circumvent constitutional protections. CLDC is fighting back, exposing government surveillance abuses and challenging the expansion of the FACE Act to silence political dissent.
Pushing Back on the Bureau of Prisons: Fighting for Liberty from Behind Bars
Behind the walls of America's prisons are jailhouse lawyers, like myself, seeking emancipation. Equipped with passion,...
We Refused to Be Silent. We Refused to Back Down. And We Won.
We Refused to Be Silent. We Refused to Back Down. And We Won. By the Plaintiffs in Black Unity v. City of Springfield...
The Day I Learned Constitutional Rights Only Matter If We Defend Them
The Day I Learned Constitutional Rights Only Matter If We Defend Them By: Adam Gilliam, CLDC client There are...
Get To Know CLDC’s Law Clerks
Get To Know CLDC’s Law Clerks CLDC's law clerk program offers aspiring public interest attorneys an opportunity to...


