Spring 2025 Paid Graduate Intern, Justice Division

The ACLU seeks a Graduate Intern in the National Political Advocacy – Justice Policy & Government Affairs Division of the ACLU’s National office in Washington, D.C. 

The Team: 

The NPAD’s Justice Division is committed to realizing a new criminal legal system – one that is substantially smaller than its current size while also keeping communities safe, advancing racial justice, treating people fairly, and using fiscal resources wisely. The ACLU’s Justice Division works with partners to build a movement for social change and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation’s incarcerated population by 50 percent. The Division is committed to advancing both decarceration and racial justice. The issue of mass incarceration is ripe for bipartisan involvement, and the ACLU works collaboratively with groups across the political spectrum to achieve our goal of ending mass incarceration. 

What You’ll Do: 

This position will be responsible for working alongside the Justice Division on many aspects of public policy such as: analyzing the constitutionality of pending legislation, creating and updating policy issue briefs, working on campaign strategy and tactical projects, assisting in quarterly and annual legislative reports, and research and administrative work as needed. 

Your Day to Day 

• Track nationwide criminal justice reform legislation and identify trends. 

• Conduct legal and policy research on state and federal legislation and litigation. 

• Assist with campaign planning, event planning, and other project work. 

• Review media, campaign materials, and other publications for narrative change and tracking purposes. 

• Draft materials, letters, and other policy and campaign materials as needed. 

• Assist with administrative duties and drafting of legislative reports as needed. 

What You’ll Bring: 

• Excellent research, writing and communication skills 

• Interest in communications strategy and messaging 

• Initiative to see projects through to completion 

• Ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines 

• The ideal candidates are independent, detail-oriented, and highly organized 

• Campaign, project management, or event planning experience a plus but not required 

Future ACLU-ers Will: 

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU 

• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives 

• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict 

Internship Logistics: 

• Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship is remote or hybrid from our DC National office. 

• Time Commitment: Term-time internships may be completed on a part-time basis (10, 15, or 20 hours/week) or full-time (35 hours/week). Summer internships require a full-time commitment.  

• Internship Duration: Full-time internships span 10 consecutive weeks and part-time 12 weeks. 

• Stipend: A stipend is available for students who are lawfully authorized to work and do not receive compensation from other sources. Students with external funding may receive a partial stipend to bring their total funding up to the level of the ACLU’s stipend amount for that term. Arrangements can be made with educational institutions for work/study or course credit. Below are the stipend rates: 

• $24/hour for graduate and law students or equivalent experience 

Priority Application Deadline: October 21st, 2024

Why the ACLU: 

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people. 

Our Commitment to Accessibility, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion  

Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us. 

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. 

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.