ABOUT THE JOB
The ACLU of Idaho invites third-year law students and recent law graduates to apply to work with us as a Sponsored Legal Fellow for one to two years. The ACLU of Idaho, located in Boise, Idaho, seeks applicants to consider for a sponsored fellowship such as Equal Justice Works, Skadden or other public interest fellowships
to begin in the fall of 2026. This is a hybrid role with in-office requirements of two to three (2-3) days per week.
We will review applications on a rolling basis beginning July 15, 2025, with a closing application deadline of August 1, 2025. Interviews are expected to begin by August 15, 2025. The successful hire must reside in Idaho before employment can begin.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Reporting to the Legal Director, the Fellow will increase our capacity to push forward our litigation agenda and engage in fast-moving, defensive battles against challenges to state and local affronts to civil rights and civil liberties. Legal work will focus primarily on immigration issues, as well as our other strategic priorities: criminal legal reform, reproductive rights and transgender rights.
This is the time and the place to be a civil rights attorney! Idahoans’ lives are at stake, and Idaho has proven to be a testing ground for laws putting marginalized communities at risk. In recent years, our attorneys have built and litigated high-profile impact litigation challenging state immigration laws, a ban on access to gender affirming care in prison, the state’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, its ban on transgender women and girls and many intersex women and girls competing in sports, the state’s failure to provide constitutionally adequate public defense, and the state’s bans on accessing reproductive health care.
Over the next few years, we expect to bring more litigation with a focus on challenging attacks on immigrants’ rights and transgender youth and adults, and unconstitutional conditions of confinement in state prisons.
YOUR DAY TO DAY:
(1) Litigation (70%)
(2) Public Advocacy (15%)
(3) Administration, Supervision, and Support (15%)
FUTURE ACLU'ERS WILL
WHAT YOU'LL BRING
ACLU of Idaho Fall 2026 Fellowship
COMPENSATION
TO APPLY
Submit:
Send to: [email protected].
Please reference “Legal Fellowship” in the email subject line and indicate in your cover letter where you found this job listing. The interview process will likely consist of two interviews with the hiring committee and a skills test assigned as homework. If travel is required during the interview process, expenses will be reimbursed by the
ACLU of Idaho.
If you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying, please e-mail [email protected]. If we select you for an interview, you will receive more information about how to request accommodations for the interview process.
WHY THE ACLU OF IDAHO
The ACLU is the nation’s premier guardian of liberty. A nationwide, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, the ACLU is dedicated to defending and expanding civil rights and civil liberties across the country. The ACLU of Idaho is an affiliate of the National ACLU. The ACLU of Idaho and its foundation operate jointly as private
nonprofit organizations devoted to furthering the ACLU’s mission in Idaho. The ACLU of Idaho combines legal, policy, organizing, and other strategies to maximize impact.
Our staff of 15 full and part-time employees and interns work in-person at least two days per week in a fast-paced, friendly office in the heart of downtown Boise, Idaho. We are a majority minority staff from all over the country and world and have chosen to make Idaho our home. We work closely with ACLU National staff and
collaborate frequently with staff at other ACLU state affiliates. We strive to ensure that our work is deeply informed by the communities we serve. Our supportive, inclusive, and empowering work culture has created opportunities for staff to grow with and within the organization, and we have historically benefited from low
turnover and long-term job tenure. We enjoy autonomy and collaboration.
Our current organizational priorities are in immigrants' rights, transgender justice, the rights of indigent criminal defendants and prisoner rights, and reproductive freedom.
OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, bi- or multi-lingual (including Indigenous languages) speakers, bicultural individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ and two-spirit community, those who have been formerly incarcerated or are currently
under supervision, and other people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. As a minority-majority organization, the ACLU of Idaho seeks to build a team that reflects that diversity. All qualified applicants who share our vision and who have a desire to contribute to our mission are encouraged to apply.
The ACLU of Idaho advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, arrest or conviction record, and any other basis prohibited by law. The ACLU of Idaho embraces Fair Chance policies.
The organization also provides reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. Our equity and inclusion commitment applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this commitment, the ACLU of Idaho strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is supportive and free from discrimination.
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