Commonwealth Club of California Podcast ACLU’s Cecillia Wang: Defending Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Hostile Times
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Nov 23, 2025 Cecillia Wang, the National Legal Director of the ACLU and a trailblazer as the first woman and woman of color in her role, dives deep into the ACLU's strategy for defending civil rights in troubled times. She discusses over 110 lawsuits against the Trump administration on issues like birthright citizenship and voting rights. Wang reveals how the upcoming Supreme Court term could reshape civil liberties and encourages ordinary citizens to take action in protecting democracy. Her insights spotlight the critical balance of advocacy and legal strategy.
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Prepared Rapid-Response Litigation Strategy
- The ACLU prepared a legal roadmap in advance of Trump's second term to respond rapidly to projected executive actions.
- Early, strategic lawsuits preserved rights like birthright citizenship and halted unlawful deportations and detentions.
Client Detained For Exercising Speech
- ACLU represented a detained Tufts student, Rumeisa Ozturk, arrested after writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed and held thousands of miles from home.
- Litigation secured her release and ongoing support in her immigration case.
A Pivotal Supreme Court Term
- The October Supreme Court term will be unusually busy for the ACLU with major cases on voting, birthright citizenship, and trans rights.
- Several ACLU cases already on the docket and others likely to return make this a pivotal term for civil rights law.
