Racial & Economic Justice

The discriminatory history of our country makes racial and economic injustice inextricably linked. Disparities in wealth, income, access to resources, and other economic opportunities remain based on race and ethnicity, preventing us from attaining racial justice.

Placeholder image

The discriminatory history of our country makes racial and economic injustice inextricably linked. Explicit racial restrictions have prevented people of color from accumulating wealth for centuries, and those racial and economic inequities continue to reinforce each other in ways both overt and subtle.

Disparities in wealth, income, access to resources, and other economic opportunities remain based on race and ethnicity, preventing us from attaining racial justice. Covert and overt discrimination, structural inequality, and implicit biases combine to create unacceptable racial gaps in the criminal legal system, housing, employment, education, health care access, and every other realm of civic life.

The ACLU-NJ confronts these deep sources of inequality with advocacy to ensure that opportunity is not allocated according to race or income, and so that all people have equal access to government resources.

The Latest

Press Release
Press Release ACLU of New Jersey

ACLU-NJ Commends Passage of New Jersey Voter Empowerment Act by Senate Judiciary Committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey, a bill that will protect and expand voting rights in New Jersey.
News & Commentary
A police car with flashing red and blue lights is parked on a street. The background shows a blurred view of trees and a building at dusk.

To Ensure Safe Roads for All, New Jersey Must Eliminate Non-Safety Traffic Stops

Everyone deserves to feel and be safe when they drive.
News & Commentary
Two protest signs are held up against a clear blue sky. One sign reads, "NJ SAYS NO DICE TO ICE!" The other sign says, "Welcome the Stranger - Pope Francis." A construction vehicle and utility wires are visible in the background.

May Day Strong

For more than century, May Day has inspired action and mobilization for social justice movements.
News & Commentary
a protest sign reading "we the people" with the ACLU of New Jersey logo

$200 Should Not Block the Constitutional Right to Counsel

To ensure fair and equal access to the Constitutional right of criminal defense, New Jersey must pass A766/S1670 and end application fees for municipal public defenders. 
Court Case
Feb 18, 2026

Latino Action Network v. State of New Jersey

Amicus brief highlighting the state constitutional implications and systemic harms of New Jersey’s pervasive school segregation problem, as well as the practical and lawful remedies available.
Court Case
Aug 08, 2024

El Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas (CATA) v Platkin

Affirmative litigation challenging the constitutionality of excluding New Jersey farmworkers from equal wage and overtime pay.
Court Case
Dec 08, 2021

State v. Goldsmith

Amicus brief addressing the standard required for stopping a person on the street, based largely on the character of a neighborhood.
Court Case
Sep 16, 2021

In re: Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive Nos. 2020-05 and 2020-06

Police union challenge to AG directives ordering the public disclosure of the identities of officers sanctioned for serious disciplinary violations.