ACLU of Mississippi

What ACLU of Mississippi does

ACLU of Mississippi is a private non-profit civil liberties organization founded in 1969 and headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi. As the Mississippi affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, the organization advances and defends constitutional rights through a combination of impact litigation, state-level legislative advocacy, and community organizing. Its stated issue portfolio spans voting rights, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, freedom of speech, equality and equity of access, and reproductive freedom — operationalized through named programs including the LGBTQ Justice Project, the Police Accountability Project, the Equitable Access to Social Services Project (EASSE), the Know Your Rights educational initiative, and the Liberty Circle donor fund for racial justice litigation.

The organization delivers services rather than products. Distribution occurs through direct legal representation (with intake via a request-legal-help portal), Know Your Rights community presentations and town halls, volunteer mobilization, and legislative advocacy before the Mississippi legislature and state agencies. The 2024 launch of the Seven States Safety Campaign, in partnership with ACLU National and other affiliates, signals movement beyond a purely single-state remit, while a dense coalition network — including SPLC, the Legal Defense Fund, the Harvard Election Law Clinic, Disability Rights Mississippi, Earthjustice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, O'Melveny & Myers, and Forward Justice — materially expands case capacity through co-counsel and pro bono relationships. Recent high-profile matters include the HB 1193 anti-DEI challenge, Lexington police accountability suits, DeSoto County redistricting litigation, S.B. 2358 voting-assistance litigation, the Jackson water crisis EPA petition, and a Harrison County Title IX complaint.

ACLU of Mississippi generates revenue through individual membership contributions, recurring memberships, and tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed in the source material; membership and donations are processed through the national ACLU giving platform. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, with named executive and legal staff including Executive Director Jarvis Dortch (former Mississippi House member, 2016–2020), Legal Director Joshua Tom, LGBTQ Justice Project Staff Attorney McKenna Raney, and Senior Staff Attorney Claudia Williams Hyman.

Name

ACLU of Mississippi

Legal name

American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi

Website

https://aclu-ms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACLU of Mississippi is a 1969-founded, Jackson-based non-profit affiliate of the national ACLU that protects constitutional rights of Mississippi residents through impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and community organizing on voting, criminal justice, LGBTQ, immigrant, and racial justice issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Legal Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC), LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Legal aid services
• Voting rights litigation
• Criminal justice reform
• Constitutional rights defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions: Individual membership renewals and contributions from supporters of civil liberties causes in Mississippi
2. Donations and gifts: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting the organization's mission

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ACLU of Mississippi is a non-profit civil liberties organization that defends the constitutional and civil rights of Mississippi residents through litigation in state and federal courts, legislative advocacy at the Mississippi statehouse, and community organizing programs. The organization operates dedicated projects including the LGBTQ Justice Project, Police Accountability Project, Equitable Access to Social Services (EASSE), and the Liberty Circle racial justice fund, while also providing Know Your Rights education and direct legal help to individuals.

Product overview

ACLU of Mississippi is a civil rights nonprofit organization, not a technology product company. It offers advocacy programs and legal services rather than software products. The organization operates programs including the EASSE (Equitable Access to Social Services), LGBTQ Justice Project, and Police Accountability Project, along with Know Your Rights educational resources and Legal Help Services. These programs focus on defending civil liberties including voting rights, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, and freedom of speech.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LGBTQ Justice Project: A legal project offering services to LGBTQ identifying people in issues related to family law, civil rights, and name and gender marker changes
• Police Accountability Project
• Equitable Access to Social Services Project (EASSE)
• Liberty Circle

Products and services

• Legal Help Services Direct legal assistance helping Mississippians navigate civil rights issues including voting rights, criminal justice reform, and discrimination cases, accessed through the request-legal-help intake process.
• LGBTQ Justice Project A legal project offering services to LGBTQ-identifying Mississippians in family law, civil rights, and name and gender marker changes, while connecting attorneys across the state to LGBTQ expertise.
• Police Accountability Project An initiative that enlists law firms, private attorneys, and community organizations to bring lawsuits to stop police violence and harassment, partnering with firms such as O'Melveny & Myers to represent victims of unconstitutional police misconduct.
• EASSE (Equitable Access to Social Services) A collaborative initiative addressing interconnected social, economic, and educational challenges by connecting community organizations to provide Mississippi families with school supplies, resources, and information, including events like the Back-to-School Resource Fair.
• Know Your Rights Education Educational resources and speaker presentations helping Mississippians understand their constitutional rights, including information about executive orders, civil liberties protections, and community education sessions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-litigation partner in voting rights cases including S.B. 2358 challenge; partnered on special education workshops and clinic
• Disability Rights MississippicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff in lawsuit challenging S.B. 2358 voting assistance restrictions; partnership on disability rights advocacy
• League of Women Voters of MississippicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff in voting rights litigation; partnership on voter access issues
• Legal Defense Fund (LDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in DeSoto County redistricting lawsuit and voting rights litigation; partnership on racial justice advocacy
• Harvard Election Law ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in DeSoto County redistricting case; legal research and litigation support
• EarthjusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in Turkey Creek/Gulfport environmental justice case challenging ammunition storage near Black community
• O'Melveny & Myers LLPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law firm partnership for Police Accountability Project; filed lawsuits against Lexington Police Department
• Center for Constitutional RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal representation for Jackson water crisis intervenors; co-filed emergency petition with EPA
• Forward JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal representation for Jackson water crisis intervenors; advocacy on water system management
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal representation for Jackson water crisis EPA petition; environmental justice advocacy
• Frye Reeves, PLLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in special education workshop and clinic for parents and advocates
• Badat LegalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in Mississippi Association of Educators v. Board of Trustees anti-DEI lawsuit challenge
• Quinn, Connor, Weaver, Davies & Rouco LLPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in anti-DEI law challenge HB 1193 lawsuit
• JULIANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in lawsuit against Lexington police for wrongful arrest of civil rights attorney; Police Accountability Project partnership
• UC Irvine School of Law Defending Democracy ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in civil rights lawsuit against City of Lexington
• People's Advocacy Institute (PAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-intervenor in Jackson water crisis federal lawsuit; advocacy for community involvement in water system management
• Mississippi Poor People's CampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-intervenor in Jackson water crisis case; advocacy for equitable water access and community participation
• MS VotesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on voting rights town halls and fair maps advocacy in Olive Branch and Aberdeen

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lambda Legal: National LGBTQ civil rights litigation organization. Overlaps with ACLU of MS's LGBTQ Justice Project on LGBTQ rights amicus briefs but operates at national scale.

Direct peers

• ACLU of Alabama: Another Southern state ACLU affiliate facing similar civil rights challenges around voting, LGBTQ rights, and criminal justice reform. Highly comparable operating environment and scale.
• Mississippi Center for Justice: Mississippi-based nonprofit law and advocacy organization. Operates within the same geographic scope and overlapping civil rights and economic justice mission areas.
• ACLU of Louisiana: A fellow regional ACLU affiliate operating in a neighboring Southern state with similar conservative political environment. Most directly comparable in scope, mission focus, and operational scale to ACLU of Mississippi.
• Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC): Alabama-based civil rights organization that co-litigates voting rights cases with ACLU of MS. Operates broader civil rights portfolio but is a core co-litigation partner and functionally comparable in mission and Southern state focus.
• Disability Rights Mississippi: Mississippi-based disability rights legal organization that is a core co-plaintiff with ACLU of MS on voting rights litigation. Operates in the same geographic scope with overlapping civil rights advocacy.
• NAACP Mississippi State Conference: Mississippi state NAACP branch focused on racial justice and civil rights advocacy within the same state and political environment. Directly comparable in geographic scope, mission focus, and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Constitutional Rights: National constitutional rights litigation organization that co-counsels with ACLU of MS on Jackson water crisis cases. Broader national portfolio but provides comparable strategic litigation capacity.
• ACLU National: The national parent organization of which ACLU of Mississippi is an affiliate. Operates the broadest civil liberties litigation and advocacy portfolio in the U.S. and provides back-office, donor pipeline, and Seven States Safety Campaign support to MS affiliate.
• Legal Defense Fund (LDF): National civil rights law organization that co-counsels with ACLU of MS on redistricting and voting rights cases. Operates a broader national portfolio but provides core litigation capacity to ACLU of MS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACLU_MS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@aclumississippi
• Facebookfacebook.com/ACLUMississippi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aclu-of-mississippi
• Instagraminstagram.com/aclu_ms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ACLU of Mississippi