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State Supreme Court Initiative

State Supreme Court Initiative

The U.S. Supreme Court is increasingly not an option to protect, let alone expand, civil liberties and civil rights. Last year’s Supreme Court term was the most conservative in a century, as President Trump’s three nominees exercised their newfound power to rule against liberty and shrink our constitutional rights.

But state supreme courts offer promise in the face of a hostile federal judiciary. That’s why we’re taking the fight to the states – we want to show up with as many resources and tools as we have available. The Ƶis launching a dedicated effort, called the State Supreme Court Initiative, to fight for the expansion of rights through state supreme courts, both through litigation and advocacy work.

The State Supreme Court Initiative will build on the organization’s existing work in state supreme courts and will expand the organization’s litigating capacity. With lawyers in every state in the country, the Ƶis uniquely situated to do this important work and to develop cross-state expertise on state constitutional litigation.


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About the Staff

Matthew Segal

Co-Director, ƵState Supreme Court Initiative

Matt is a co-director of the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative, which he helped to launch in May 2023. At the SSCI, Matt has successfully briefed state supreme court cases on a range of issues, including prosecutorial accountability and access to justice. Matt previously served for 11 years as Legal Director of the Ƶof…
Matthew Segal

Julie Murray

Co-Director, ƵState Supreme Court Initiative

Julie Murray is co-director of the Ƶ’s State Supreme Court Initiative (SSCI), which launched in May 2023. In that capacity, Julie helps to lead a team litigating a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties issues in state courts around the country. Before coming to the ACLU, Julie was a litigator…
Julie Murray

Terry Ding

ƵStaff Attorney, State Supreme Court Initiative

he/him

Terry Ding is a staff attorney with the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative. He joins the SSCI after four years at the New York Civil Liberties Union, where he litigated a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties issues, including challenging the prolonged detention of immigrants, discriminatory voting practices, and deficient medical care for…
Terry Ding

Lily Moore-Eissenberg

Legal Fellow

She/Her/Hers

Lily Moore-Eissenberg is a Justice Catalyst Fellow with the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative. Lily graduated in 2025 from Yale Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. During law school, she worked for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, the Ƶof Northern California, and Gupta Wessler. She received her…
Lily Moore-Eissenberg

Gabriela Perez

Paralegal

She/Her/Hers

Gabriela Perez is a paralegal with the State Supreme Court Initiative where she assists a team of attorneys fighting for the expansion of rights through state supreme courts. Gabriela graduated summa cum laude from the University of Chicago with a dual degree in Latin American and Iberian Languages and Global Studies. Prior to joining the…
Gabriela Perez

Where the SSCI Is Litigating

Since the SSCI was created in May 2023, we have provided formal assistance in the states highlighted below.

Last updated on February 3, 2026

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