American Civil Liberties Union

Women's Rights:
The ACLU's Women's Rights Project was co-founded in 1972 by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Through litigation, community outreach, advocacy and public education, WRP empowers poor women, women of color and immigrant women who have been victimized by gender bias and face pervasive barriers to equality. Learn more about the WRP.


ACLU Blog of Rights ACLU Legacy Challenge - See and Hear What Others Have Done

Freedom Files - Season 2
Ideological Exclusion

ACLU NewsfeedsACLU News Feed
ACLU Blog
ACLU Podcasts

Womens Rights : Discrimination : Press Releases view all

ACLU Obtains Judgment Against NYC for Gender Discrimination Against Correction Officer Who Reported Sexual Assault (08/21/2007)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union obtained a judgment late yesterday against the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) on behalf of 27-year-old Danielle Simmonds, a New York City correction officer who claimed that the DOC discriminated against her and subjected her to a hostile work environment after she reported an on-duty sexual assault by a co-worker. The $95,001 judgment resolves a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in federal district court.

Rhode Island Groups Sharply Criticize Governor for Attack on Divorce Laws (07/30/2007)
PROVIDENCE, RI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today announced the favorable settlement of its lawsuit on behalf of a Christian prisoner who has been barred since 2003 from preaching during Christian religious services at the state prison.

ACLU Praises Senate Introduction of Pay Equity Legislation (07/20/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Senate introduction of the Fair Pay Restoration Act, companion to H.R. 2831, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. This bipartisan legislation would restore protections against pay discrimination that were undermined by the May 29, 2007 Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear.

ACLU Welcomes Pay Equity Legislation in the House of Representatives (06/22/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union applauded today’s introduction in the House of Representatives of the “Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007,” legislation aimed at clarifying the law regarding wage discrimination. On May 29, the Supreme Court ruled in Ledbetter v. Goodyear that workers cannot sue for wage discrimination that occurred years earlier. According to the 5-4 decision, the majority held that the plaintiff had no claim because she had not filed a complaint within 180 days of the initial discrimination.

Court Rules in Favor of Woman Who Was Denied Membership in All Male Club (02/28/2007)
HARTFORD, CT - The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut today hailed an important victory in a lawsuit brought by a woman who was denied membership in the German Social Society because of her gender. The Connecticut Court of Appeals ruled that the lower court committed a legal error when it incorrectly applied a narrow federal standard to the club’s requirement to be open to the public rather than the broader state standard.

Womens Rights : Discrimination : Legal Documents view all

Corcoran v. German Social Society - Decision (02/21/2008)

New Mexico v. Martinez (03/09/2007)

New Mexico v. Martinez (03/09/2007)

USA v. Brennan Decision (09/11/2006)
USA v. Brennan Decision

New Jersey State Attorney General Amicus Brief (05/09/2006)
New Jersey State Attorney General Amicus Brief in Liu, et al., v. King Chef, et al. (D.N.J.)

Womens Rights : Discrimination : Legislative Documents view all

ACLU Letter to the Senate Urging A Yes Vote on H.R. 2831, The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 (04/21/2008)

ACLU Testimony on Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Oversight Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the House Judiciary Committee (09/25/2007)

Written Testimony of Janet Caldero for Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Oversight Hearing Before the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the House Judiciary Committee (09/25/2007)

ACLU Letter to Vote Yes on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (07/26/2007)

ACLU letter supporting the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 (06/26/2007)

Womens Rights : Discrimination : Resources

ACLU Victory in Lochren v. Suffolk County (06/05/2006)
Lochren v. Suffolk County is a legal case that six female police officers have brought against their employer, the Suffolk County Police Department, to challenge department policies that discriminate against women officers by denying them limited duty during their pregnancies. While the case represents only six women, it confronts issues that women in non-traditional employment face across the country.

Womens Rights : Discrimination : Court Cases

New Mexico v. Martinez (03/09/2007)
The Women's Rights Project, Reproductive Freedom Project, and ACLU of New Mexico joined in an amicus effort before the New Mexico Supreme Court to help challenge the arrest and prosecution of Cynthia Martinez, a mother who continued her pregnancy to term in spite of her struggle with drug addiction.

Click to show/hide issues list
Your Local ACLUcongressional scorecardmultimediaforumspublicationssupport usstorecontact