As ACLU of Alabama celebrates 60th anniversary, group fights to stop anti-DEI law from taking effect statewide

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) -- As the ACLU of Alabama celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, the group has announced a slate of projects they will take on this year, including fighting against a law that that unravels diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the state.

Earlier this month, the organization announced that they had filed a federal lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 129, which prevents public universities across the state from dedicating funding to DEI programs. The law went into effect in October.

"What that means is that DEI offices have had to close at our public universities," said Alison Mollman, legal director of the ACLU of Alabama. "But, even more troubling, is that we've seen restrictions on what student groups have access to funding for."

As an example, Mollman said groups like Alabama NAACP chapters wouldn't have the same access to funding for events like Black History Month, while white groups were not held to the same standard.

On Jan. 30, the group, alongside the Legal Defense Fund, filed a preliminary injunction requesting that the court pauses the implementation of SB129.

"In their motion, the plaintiffs argue that the law, Alabama Senate Bill 129 (SB129), has imposed severe viewpoint restrictions on professors and students in public Alabama universities, including classroom discussions and university programs, since it took effect in October 2024," the ACLU of Alabama wrote in a press release. "The plaintiffs further argue that it is difficult—if not impossible—to ascertain what exactly is or is not prohibited by SB129 due its vague and confusing language, which further chills their speech."

Mollman said the lawsuit's ultimate aims is to have a federal court declare SB129 as unconstitutional.

"What that would mean is that our plaintiffs and students across the state who have student groups that are based on identity or are based on certain viewpoints wouldn't have that restricted as they are now under SB 129," she said. "And it would allow our professors across the state to return to teaching the curriculum and history that's been appropriate for years."

The organization, which was founded in 1965, recently announced its 2025 Legislative Agenda, including:

The ACLU of Alabama will be hosting a community teach-in on Feb. 15 in Montgomery. Mollman said the free event would be aimed toward educating the public on how the Legislature function, what bills they could expect to be introduced in the next session and how the ACLU will work to fight against certain bills.

"It's one of our priorities to make sure that the public is aware and educated about what's happening," she said. "We'll have other community events throughout the spring where folks can choose to tap in on the work that we're doing and learn how they can fight back against laws that harm them and to support laws that are going to make our lives better."

More information on the work being done by the ACLU of Alabama can be found here.