The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland (ACLU of Maryland) is a left-of-center activist organization and the state-level arm of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). ACLU of Maryland engages in litigation, legislation, lobbying, and public education, with an emphasis on racial issues, across the state of Maryland. The group claims approximately 42,000 members across the state. ¹

ACLU of Maryland states that it places race equity at the center of its activism as it claims Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals are threatened by pervasive “white supremacy.” ²

Advocacy

As of 2024, the organization began focusing on six major advocacy campaigns including support for speakers who are in favor of Palestinian nationalism, pursuing accountability for the police-involved death of Anton Black, empowering police accountability boards, upholding the Voting Rights Act in Baltimore County, permitting incarcerated people the right to vote, and denying the use of the federal-local partnership that authorizes law enforcement agencies to perform the duties of the federal Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement known as 287(G) in Maryland. ³

In 2023, while partnering with the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability, ACLU of Maryland intervened in a lawsuit by the Fraternal Order of Police challenging Anton’s Law, which allows records relating to administrative investigations of police misconduct to be available to the public with few exceptions. ⁴ ACLU of Maryland stated that it thought that law enforcement was too “emboldened” and that police were not acting transparently. In addition, ACLU of Maryland supported efforts to enable people who were formerly incarcerated to serve on local Police Accountability Boards, advocating for these groups to have larger budgets, more resources, and additional oversight laws. The Police Accountability Boards would have the power to issue investigatory subpoenas and discipline powers that would “hold police accountable.” ⁵

In 2021, ACLU of Maryland worked with left-of-center groups, including the NAACP, the League of Women Voters of Baltimore County, and Common Cause of Maryland, along with a group of Baltimore County voters to challenge the redistricting plan that was approved by the Baltimore County Council. These groups claimed the redistricting violated the Voting Rights Act that was meant to protect Black, Indigenous, and others of color. The executive director of ACLU of Maryland, Dana Vickers Shelley, was also listed as a plaintiff in the case stating that the Baltimore Council “voted for a redistricting plan that is racially discriminatory.” ACLU of Maryland Legal Director, Deborah Jeon, was one of the representatives for the plaintiffs in the case. ⁶

In 2018, ACLU of Maryland supported and urged delegates to vote for legislation to establish a Pretrial Services Program Grant Fund that would allocate grants to local jurisdictions to assist with pretrial services. ⁷

Organizational Partnerships

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland created ACLU Maryland Parole Partnership (ACLU MPP) to help those who are incarcerated with life sentences gain access to Maryland’s parole process. This group is also supported by the Maryland Restorative Justice Initiative. ⁸

ACLU of Maryland has partnerships with some of the largest left-of-center originations in the country, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, known for its left-of-center advocacy focused on African American and ethnic minority interests; the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a left-of-center group with branches across the country that is the largest provider of abortions; and People for the American Way, a left-of-center advocacy group that pushes for liberal policies and helps elect Democratic political candidates. ⁹

ACLU of Maryland lists 18 left-leaning local partners that advocate for Maryland state-specific issues or are state-level branches of greater coalitions, including the League of Women Voters, a left-of-center voting rights group; CASA of Maryland, a left-of-center illegal immigration advocacy organization throughout the state of Maryland; and the state-level arm of Common Cause, a group that adamantly  advocates against Republican political candidates. ⁹

Financials

In the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland’s 2023 Annual Report, the organization shared its community-centric fundraising approach. This method of fundraising eliminates donor-centered fundraising because it focuses on a donor’s individual wealth that could have been gained and accumulated by historic injustice. The organization adheres to fundraising practices related to “race, equity, and social justice” and the missions of individual organizations are valued less than the “collective community.” ¹⁰

In 2020, the Open Society Foundations (OSF) awarded the ACLU of Maryland $100,000 over a two-year period for support of “policy advocacy to reduce incarceration in Maryland.” ¹¹

ACLU of Maryland is the nation’s 10th-oldest ACLU affiliate and is based in Baltimore, Maryland with a satellite office in Takoma Park. It has over 20 employees and provides approximately $1.4 million a year in pro bono legal services. ¹²

People

Dana Vickers Shelley joined the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland as the organization’s first Black female executive director in June 2018. ¹³ She is the group’s highest paid employee, earning roughly $215,481 in 2023. ¹⁴ Upon joining the organization, she oversaw a $3.3 million operating budget. Prior to joining ACLU of Maryland, Dana was a public affairs and policy consultant, a faculty member at the historically Black Morgan State University, and was a director of strategic communications for the Annie E. Casey Foundation for eight years. ¹⁵ She was also a consultant for the NAACP and the Democratic National Committee. ¹⁶

Susan Goering joined ACLU of Maryland in 1986 as the organization’s legal director and ten years later became executive director. ¹⁷ She is now a political advocate and worked in the 2018 mid-term elections in Maryland and other states. ¹⁸

1.  The Bare Facts – Who We Are. ACLU of Maryland. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/about/who-we-are
2. Race Equity Statement – Who We Are. ACLU of Maryland. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/about/who-we-are
3. Campaigns. ACLU of Maryland. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/campaigns
4. Goode, Meredith. “Police Accountablity Coalition Defends Anton’s Law from Fraternal Order of Police’s Secretive and Unacceptable Court Challenge.” ACLU of Maryland. December 21, 2022. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/press-releases/police-accountability-coalition-defends-antons-law-fraternal-order-polices-secretive#:~:text=In%20an%20effort%20to%20build,the%20public%2C%20with%20narrow%20exceptions
5. Government Accountability. ACLU of Maryland 2023 Annual Report. ACLU of Maryland. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/aclumd_2023_annualreport_11inwx8pt5inh.pdf
6.  “League of Women Voters of Baltimore County, Black Voters, Baltimore County NAACP, and Common Cause Sue to Defend Voting Rights in Redistricting.” League of Women Voters. December 21, 2001. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/league-women-voters-baltimore-county-black-voters-baltimore-county-naacp
7. HB 477 – Pretrial Services Program Grant Fund – Establishment. ACLU of Maryland. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/legislation/hb-447-pretrial-services-program-grant-fund-establishment
8. “DC Pro Bono Week Profiles: Partnership to Freedom: Supporting Maryland Lifers in Access to Justice through Parole.” Washington Council of Lawyers. By: Gwen Washington. October 17, 2024. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://wclawyers.org/dcpbw24-mpp/
9. Partner Organizations. ACLU of Maryland. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/partner-organizations
10. ACLU of Maryland 2023 Annual Report. ACLU of Maryland. March 8, 2023. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/en/publications/2023-annual-report
11. American Civil Liberties Union Awarded Grants. Open Society Foundations. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=american+civil+liberties+union+of+maryland&grant_id=OR2020-75504
12. Kurtz, Josh. “Maryland ACLU Gets New Leader. Maryland Matters. May 29, 2018. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://marylandmatters.org/2018/05/29/maryland-aclu-gets-new-leader/
13. “ACLU of Maryland Appoints First Black Woman as Leader.” ABC 47 News WMDT. May 25, 2018. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.wmdt.com/2018/05/aclu-of-md-appoints-1st-black-woman-as-leader/
14.  ACLU of Maryland, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Schedule J, Part II. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.aclu-md.org/sites/default/files/aclu_of_md_fy23_-_990.pdf
15. Wilen, Holden. “ACLU of Maryland Names Dana Vickers Shelley Executive Director.” BizWomen. May 29, 2018. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2018/05/aclu-of-maryland-names-dana-vickers-shelley.html
16. ^[1] “ACLU of Maryland Appoints First Black Woman as Leader.” ABC 47 News WMDT. May 25, 2018. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.wmdt.com/2018/05/aclu-of-md-appoints-1st-black-woman-as-leader/
17. Susan Goering. Women’s Hall of Fame. Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://mdwomensheritagecenter.org/project/goering-susan/#openoverlay
18. “Susan Goering – Retired Executive Director ACLU of Maryland. The Daily Record. December 14, 2018. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://thedailyrecord.com/2018/12/14/susan-goering/