Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney or Senior Counsel

Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney or Senior Counsel

New York, New York, United States;
San Francisco, California, United States;
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full-time position of Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney or Senior Counsel for the Supreme Court Docket in the Legal Department of
the ACLU’s National office in New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, or Washington, DC. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications received by March 13, 2026.

The ACLU runs one of the country’s most active Supreme Court practices. The ACLU’s National Legal Director is responsible for all ACLU filings in the Supreme Court of the United States, by both the National ACLU and its 54 state affiliates. The ACLU frequently represents parties in matters on the Supreme Court’s certiorari, merits, and emergency dockets, and also frequently files friend-of-the-Court briefs.

In recent years, the ACLU’s Supreme Court docket has grown substantially. For example, the ACLU has been counsel for a party in about three to five merits cases and filed approximately ten to fifteen amicus briefs, and has filed or opposed between ten and twenty certiorari petitions each year. Additionally, the ACLU has had 10 matters on the Court’s emergency docket since the end of the Supreme Court’s 2024-25 term.

This position is part of a collective bargaining unit. It is represented by ACLU Staff United (ASU).

Reporting to the National Legal Director
, the Staff Attorney, Senior Staff Attorney or Senior Counsel will work with the National Legal Director, another Supreme Court docket attorney, the ACLU’s Supreme Court paralegal, other national and affiliate ACLU colleagues, and co-counsel on cases before the Supreme Court. This includes legal research, drafting briefs, coordinating with amici and other partners, overseeing the printing and filing briefs in the Court, helping to prepare for oral arguments, and tracking and strategizing about the ACLU’s Supreme Court work.

In addition, the Staff Attorney will be a generalist in the National Legal Department and will assist with other litigation as directed and as time permits.

• Participate in ACLU cases and amicus briefs before the Supreme Court in collaboration with the National Legal Director and other ACLU attorneys and co-counsel
• Draft, edit, and file briefs in U.S. Supreme Court on cutting-edge civil rights and civil liberties issues, either as amicus or as counsel for a party
• Participate in moot courts for Supreme Court and other appellate arguments
• Participate in the development and execution of strategies for the ACLU’s engagement in the Supreme Court
• Help coordinate and manage the Supreme Court docket
• Identify cases of constitutional importance in the federal courts of appeals and state high courts
• Engage in public education about the ACLU’s Supreme Court work, including through the ACLU’s website, public speaking, media interviews, and other channels
• Hire and supervise law student interns
• Collaborate with staff across the ACLU, including colleagues in the ACLU’s Legal Department and other departments including the Communications Department, the National Political Advocacy Department, and state affiliates
• Assist other ACLU projects with litigation outside of the Supreme Court docket as time permits

• 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 conflicts

• J.D. degree required; with extensive legal experience strongly preferred
• Appellate experience is required; an appellate clerkship is strongly preferred
• Experience and an interest in constitutional law and civil rights and civil liberties
• Excellent research, writing and oral advocacy skills
• Strong strategic and…