The ACLU-DE works to protect the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, especially the principles contained in the Bill of Rights, and the Delaware Constitution.

Issues We Work On:

  • Freedom of speech
  • Government-sponsored religious activities
  • Interference with the practice of an individual's religious beliefs
  • Privacy
  • Discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation or disability, religion, age, national origin, or marital status
  • Reproductive freedom
  • Police misconduct
  • Censorship in schools or libraries
  • Constitutional and educational rights of students
  • Fairness in application of school discipline
  • Voting rights
  • Unsafe and inhumane jail and prison conditions

Issues We Don't Work On:

  • Criminal defense or post-conviction appeals
  • Evictions or other types of landlord-tenant disputes
  • Disputes between employees and employers
  • Family court cases such as divorce or child custody
  • Tax problems
  • Wills and estates
  • Complaints about lawyers or judges

The ACLU is not a general legal service provider. We are also not a government agency, such as the public defender, or a legal services office that helps low-income people. We do not provide emergency services, except in very rare cases. We have limited resources and staff and are able to become involved in only a few cases every month.

Requests for legal assistance from the ACLU-DE must be made in writing. Please see Other Legal Resources in Delaware if your case doesn't fit our criteria.




Get Help

If you believe your rights have been violated and would like to receive our help, please fill out our online complaint form:



You may also download the form and fax it to 302-654-3689 or mail it to: 

ACLU-DE Complaints
100 West 10th St, Suite 706
Wilmington, DE 19801

 

You can also call 302-654-5326 and leave your contact information and we will mail or fax you the complaint form.

Note:  If you are submitting your complaint by mail, please attach copies of relevant paperwork, but DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS. We cannot guarantee that your information will be returned.

What to expect after submitting your case

  • It will take two to four weeks for us to respond to your complaint due to our limited staff.
  • We will notify you in writing about whether we can help you or not. If we can help you, there will be no charge for our services.
  • We may contact you if we have questions or need more information, so please include your phone number and email address, if you have one, on the complaint form.

We only accept complaints regarding civil liberties violations that occurred in Delaware. If you are seeking assistance for a problem that occurred in another state, please refer to the national directory of ACLU offices.

Important Note about Deadlines

All legal claims have time deadlines. The deadlines may be different depending on who violated your rights and depending on what rights were violated. For some kinds of violations, you may need to file a claim with a government agency before you can sue, and these agencies usually have their own time deadlines. The ACLU cannot give you advice about the deadlines that apply to your case.

To protect your rights, please consult with an attorney promptly to find out what deadlines apply in your case.