Fall 2026 Fellowship Sponsorship, Capital Punishment Project

 

The ACLU invites rising third-year law students and recent law graduates to apply for a sponsorship opportunity to work with us as a Legal Fellow for one or two year(s). The Capital Punishment Project of the National office in Durham, NC, seeks applicants to consider for a sponsored fellowship such as Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst or other public interest fellowships to begin in the fall of 2026. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month in our Durham, NC, Washington, DC, or New York City office.  

 

The Capital Punishment Project, part of the ACLU’s Center for Justice, challenges the unfairness and arbitrariness of capital punishment while working toward the ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty. The Project engages in public advocacy and strategic litigation, including direct representation of capital defendants. The Project’s litigation is conducted throughout the country, with a particular focus on the South. 

The Capital Punishment Project is interested in sponsoring a candidate to work on litigation challenging race discrimination in the application of the death penalty.  The Project welcomes additional suggestions from prospective fellow applicants. 

 

 

 

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

 

Reporting to the Director, the Fellow will advance the Project's systemic challenges to race discrimination in the application of the death penalty under state constitution and state racial justice statutes. This may include litigation to secure public records, working with social science experts, and drafting pleadings. 

Our staff will work with candidates to develop their proposals for submission, helping tailor the proposal to address an important civil liberties issue. Proposed projects often combine litigation and advocacy with community outreach and public education.

 

 

 

 

The ACLU has a litigator scale that determines pay for attorneys in our Legal Department. The range of salaries are the following, based on year of law school graduation (please consult the hiring manager for specific salary details, based on individual circumstances). 

The ACLU is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. These salaries are reflective of positions based in New York, NY where are National Offices are headquartered.  Salaries are subject to a regional pay adjustment if authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.   

 

For details on our pay structure, please visit: 

https://www.aclu.org/careers/ACLU_Geographic_Pay_Structure-July_2024.pdf 

 

 

 

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. 

 

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just their work, but to their overall well-being.  

 

At the ACLU, we offer a broad range of benefits, which include: 

 

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, accessibility, 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, anti-ableism, 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 email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.