American Constitution Society

About ACS

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. Founded in 2001, ACS is comprised of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, policymakers, activists and other concerned individuals who are working to ensure that the fundamental principles of human dignity, individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice are in their rightful, central place in American law. The American Constitution Society is a non-partisan, non-profit educational organization. We do not, as an organization, lobby, litigate or take positions on specific issues, cases, legislation or nominations. We do encourage our members to express their views and make their voices heard.

In 2004, students of Chapman University School of Law formed a chapter of the American Constitution Society, to promote a vision of the law that gives human values a central place. The first meeting of ACS at Chapman attracted dozens of students, making it the most popular launch of a student organization in Chapman's history.

As we learn to “think like lawyers,” we believe the activities of this chapter – speeches, debates, symposia, student meetings, research and writing projects – will help us realize that rigorous legal thinking does not require the abandonment of such values. We also wish to create a community for like-minded students, and introduce them to faculty, practitioners, former and current government officials, and public interest advocates who share their values. We hope our chapter will become a central meeting place for the exchange of opportunities for bringing positive change to the law.