Spring 2026 Undergraduate Intern, Trone Center for Justice and Equality

About the Role

The ACLU seeks aSummerUndergraduate Intern in the Legal Departments Trone Center for Justice and Equalityof the ACLUs National office inNew York City. This position can be remote or hybrid and is for course credit only.

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

The Team:

The ACLUs Trone Center for Justice and Equality focuses on Americas issues around crime punishment and racial justice. These three issues are constantly intersecting and the implications for social and economic success in communities of color are hanging in the balance. As a result race and class permeate the entire criminal justice system and today robust discussions about race in America are bringing issues of racial justice into the spotlight. This is a critical time in the fight to advance racial justice and to truly reform the criminal legal system. The Trone Center contains five Projects/Programs working towards these goals: the Capital Punishment Project the National Prison Project the Racial Justice Program Criminal Law Reform Project and the John Adams Project.

What Youll Do:

The Trone Center for Justice and Equality is seeking a law student intern to work on the issues it addresses including the following: seeking to end excessively harsh criminal justice policies that result in mass incarceration over-criminalization and racial injustice; fighting for nationwide reforms to pretrial detention and surveillance police practices public defense systems disproportionate sentencing and prosecutorial abuses of authority in the name of public safety; challenging the unfairness and arbitrariness of capital punishment while working towards the ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty; improving conditions for people in prisons jails and detention centers and increasing oversight and accountability in places of detention; and confronting racial discrimination in education housing fair lending policing and the criminal justice system. The intern will be responsible for conducting legal research and writing support to the Center Director and Staff Attorney. The intern will also work on other Center priorities and issue areas as assigned.

Your Day to Day:

• Conduct research and analysis on issues in the criminal justice and racial justice fields
• Draft communications memos and presentations
• Documenting and tracking complaints received from incarcerated people and responding with informational materials
• Assist the Legal Operations team in department-wide initiatives trainings and compliance
• Support the Trone Center and the work of the Trone Center Director and Special Assistant

What Youll Bring:

• Completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree
• Demonstrated commitment to the issues on which the Trone Center for Justice and Equality works
• Excellent research writing and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Self-motivated with the ability to take initiative manage a variety of tasks and see projects through to completion
• Strong computer skills particularly web-based research including proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Word Excel)

Future ACLUers 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 conflicts

Internship Logistics

• Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship may beremote or hybrid and based in our New York City office.
• Time Commitment: This internship may be part-time (1015 or 20 hours/week) or full-time (35 hours/week)
• Internship Duration: Spring internships span 12 consecutive weeks for part-time or 10 consecutive weeks for full-time with a start date ofJanuary 12 or January 26.
• Stipend: This internship is for course credit only.

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 its 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 were 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. If you are selected for an interview you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodations 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.