2025 Defenders of Justice Litigation Awardee: ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation


The NC Justice Center is proud to present the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation with a Champion of Justice Award for Litigation.


For the past 60 years, the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation has worked to realize the promise of the United States and North Carolina Constitutions for all people and expand the reach of their guarantees. To accomplish this, the litigation team works in both the courts and in communities to advance and defend key civil rights issues, create transparency and accountability, and challenge unconstitutional policies and practices. Their work is centered on the unshakeable belief that civil liberties and rights are vital to securing every aspect of an individual’s struggle for dignity and freedom. Since its founding, the organization has taken on free speech cases, abortion access and reproductive rights, the rights of immigrants, the rights of prisoners and people with mental and physical disabilities, privacy and LGBTQ+ rights, and the rights of citizens to have unimpeded access to the ballot.

Some of the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation’s notable wins include M.E v. T.J (ensuring that LGBTQ North Carolinians have equal access to domestic violence protections); Buffkin v. Hooks (guaranteeing hepatitis C treatment for incarcerated people); Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Stein (forcing amendments to and ultimately invalidating a part of NC’s post-Dobbs abortion restrictions); NAACP v. Peterman (securing the rights of individuals to protest a Confederate monument on courthouse grounds); Norris v. Asheville  (enforcing  North Carolinians’ First Amendment rights to access public parks); and Gerber and Berlin v. Cooper (resulting in state recognition of same sex marriage).  

The Legal Foundation is a core pillar of the ACLU of North Carolina, led by Executive Director Chantal Stevens and Legal Director Kristi Graunke, who have both served since 2020. They lead a 28-person team (nine of whom serve in the Legal Foundation) that works in close partnership with impacted communities and allied organizations to amplify impact beyond the courtroom. In the current moment of crisis, where the very foundation of our country is under threat, the ACLU of North Carolina knows that litigation and the power of the courts cannot alone safeguard our civil liberties. However, the organization believes strongly that litigation is a critical tool in the struggle for justice. The ACLU of NC Legal Foundation will continue to work with partners in North Carolina to fight for a free and democratic society.