Summer 2027 Legal Intern, Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief

About the Role

The ACLU seeks a Summer Legal intern in the Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief of the ACLU's National office in Washington, D.C. This internship is remote.

Qualifying applicants must currently be matriculated legal students and must be based in the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.

The Team:

The Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief works to safeguard the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise. Building on the ACLU’s century of work defending these constitutional principles, the Program employs an integrated strategy of litigation, public education, and advocacy. Summer interns will have the opportunity to gain meaningful legal experience by assisting PFRB's attorneys in various aspects of litigation, from developing new cases to researching and writing briefs at the district-court and appellate-court levels. Interns will gain exposure to a variety of prominent religious-freedom issues.

What You’ll Do:

Interns will learn about all aspects of the Program’s work, including litigation, public education, and advocacy, and will gain experience through a variety of assignments.

Your Day to Day:

What You'll Bring:

The summer internship is open to law students who will have completed at least one year of law school prior to the commencement of the internship. Interns should possess the following:

In their cover letter, applicants should discuss their interest in religion and civil liberties, including any relevant life or work experience gained before or during law school.

Future ACLU'ers Will:

Internship Logistics

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 & 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 complete the Accommodation Request Form

If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

In order to be considered for this position, all candidates must formally submit an application. The ACLU does not accept unsolicited calls or emails from candidates regarding their application status.

ACLU’s internship program is supported in part by the Arnie Miller Fund for the Next Generation: The Arnie Miller Fund For The Next Generation | American Civil Liberties Union.