Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties Project

Sidley works closely with many civil rights advocacy organizations across the United States to protect and defend the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all people, especially those most vulnerable to marginalization, persecution, or profiling.

Our pro bono practice works through the courts, administrative agencies, and legislatures to promote and expand the rights of women in the workplace; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to live and love freely and fairly; and racial minorities to walk, drive, and use public transportation without the fear of government harassment.

Sidley also is assigned by federal courts across the country to represent plaintiffs whose constitutional rights are violated by authorities acting under the color of law, including those harmed during arrest or while being detained in jails, and to represent prisoners who have been deprived medical care, held in inhumane conditions, or subjected to violence or other constitutional violations. For these efforts, Sidley was honored by the Northern District of Illinois with the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service.