First Amendment and Democracy

The First Amendment is the cornerstone of our free society. The ACLU of Southern California is dedicated to ensuring that all people are free to express themselves – politically, artistically, socially and through other forms of personal expression – without government interference.

The ACLU SoCal is also committed to advocating for strong open government laws and – when necessary bringing cases under those laws – to ensuring that government is transparent and that people have access to public meetings and government records, which enable them to hold the government accountable.