Summer 2026 Criminal Law & Immigration Project Extern

Summer 2026 Criminal Law & Immigration Project Internship

Location: We expect our Summer 2026 internships will proceed in-person (or in a hybrid model) at our offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. In your application materials please include your preference and willingness to be based in each of these locations.

Deadline: Open until filled.

The ACLU of Northern California’s Legal Advocacy Department invites law and policy graduate students to apply for its Criminal Law & Immigration Project internship. Students willing to work with intensity and focus will find an internship at ACLU NorCal to be a rewarding learning experience. Qualified applicants are enthusiastic, creative, and detail-oriented; have strong research, writing, and oral communication skills; and can articulate a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU.

About the Legal Advocacy Department

The Legal Advocacy Department promotes policy change and pursues cutting edge impact litigation to defend and expand the civil liberties and civil rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Department’s work focuses on three broad issue areas: Criminal Law & Immigration; Democracy, Speech & Technology; and Appeals & Special Litigation. The Department’s staff is based in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno. Department staff work closely with other departments within ACLU NorCal, including Organizing, Communications, Development, as well as with ACLU California Action.

Criminal Justice Internship

Criminal Law & Immigration Project interns will participate in one or more of the team’s core streams of work, which includes: Prosecutorial Accountability; Police Accountability; Decarceration; and Immigrants’ Rights. The Prosecutorial Accountability project aims to increase engagement in prosecutorial elections, increase accountability, and draw attention to the immense power and discretion exercised by prosecutors. The Police Accountability project aims to reduce criminalization, police power and abuse of power, implementation of police reform at the state and local level, and effective oversight on police power. The Decarceration project aims to reduce incarceration and includes bail reform work and indigent defense advocacy. The Immigrants’ Rights work focuses on projects that ensure that the civil rights of immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers are protected under federal, state, and local law.

Interns will be tasked with legal and policy research and analysis; helping to author advocacy materials, portions of court documents, and pre-litigation demand letters; and/or assisting with legislative or other local campaigns. Interns may attend and participate in hearings at the state and county level and meetings with policy-makers and advocates as opportunities arise. Interns may also attend appellate arguments, trial court proceedings, and depositions. Interns are encouraged to attend and participate in departmental meetings, where prospective litigation and policy strategies are discussed. Assignments may arise that provide interns the opportunity to work across the Department’s three broad issue areas, including Democracy, Speech & Technology and Appeals & Special Litigation.

Applicants for the Criminal Justice Program Internship must currently be enrolled in law school or a graduate program in criminal justice, public policy, or a related field, and applicants must demonstrate a passion for criminal justice and a commitment to work for social justice and the ideals of the ACLU. The Legal Advocacy Department accepts two to three Criminal Justice interns per term.

Application Process

Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the hiring cycle.

How to apply

Applications from all interested law and graduate students are welcome. Please note that ACLU NorCal does not consider applications from undergraduate students. Applications must include the following in PDF format: (1) Cover Letter that includes (a) a brief statement about why you want to work on the particular Project/Issue Area you’ve applied for, (b) whether you are interested in in-person work or remote work, and (c) how you encountered the opening; (2) Resume; and (3) Writing Sample.

The ACLU of Northern California 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, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, the ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is free from discrimination and supportive of a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our communities and the people we serve.

ACLU NorCal will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).