Organizations

It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.
— Attributed to Samuel Adams, but there is no evidence he wrote it, and the terms "irate" and "brushfire" are anachronistic. However, it is still a good saying, whoever wrote it.
Rights don't defend themselves. People have only those rights they are willing and able to unite to defend, with armed force if necessary. If you don't defend others when their rights are violated, don't expect anyone to defend yours , and those rights will be violated if they are not defended.
— Jon Roland, 1994

1. Focus on Litigation — Also see Legal Reform page.

  1. Sovereignty Education and Defense Ministry (SEDM) - common law litigation
  2. Judicial Watch — Monitors abuses in the judicial system.
  3. Pacific Legal Foundation — Litigates with a libertarian agenda.
  4. Landmark Legal Foundation — Working to reform government.
  5. Rutherford Institute — Libertarian civil rights litigation.
  6. Civil Liberties Defense Foundation — Litigates in defense of civil liberties.
  7. Center for Individual Rights — Public-interest law firm that seeks reform through litigation.
  8. United States Justice Foundation — Fighting for your rights in court.

2. Focus on Rights in General

  1. We The People Foundation for Constitutional Education — Exists to Protect and Defend The Constitution of The United States of America. Currently focused on Continental Congress 2009.
  2. Campaign for Liberty — Outgrowth of the Ron Paul movement.
  3. Tenth Amendment Center — Serves Tenth Amendment movement.
  4. The American Civil Liberties Union — Defender of constitutional rights, except the right to keep and bear arms and to assemble as independent militias. We're working on bringing them around.
  5. Institute for Justice — Litigating for liberty. Libertarian alternative to the ACLU.
  6. Bill of Rights Institute — Advocate compliance with the Bill of Rights.
  7. Defending Rights & Dissent — Oppose civil liberties infringements of the "war on terrorism".
  8. Downsize DC — Seek to reduce the size of the federal government to within its constitutional limits.
  9. James Madison Center for Free Speech — Defends the rights of citizens to participate in our democracy.
  10. Center for Individual Freedom — Focuses attention on individual freedoms and rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
  11. Eagle Forum — Litigate with a pro-family focus. Founded and headed by Phyllis Schlafly.
  12. Committee for Justice — Promotes constitutionalist judicial nominees.
  13. Code Pink — Protest national security violations of constitutional rights. Name is parody of alert codes issued by Department of Homeland Security.
  14. Freedom Forum — Emphasizes First Amendment issues, especially freedom of the press.
  15. International Action Center — Information, activism and resistance to U.S. militarism, war, and corporate greed. Founded by Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General.
  16. First Amendment Coalition — Focus on first amendment issues, based in but not necessarily limited to California.
  17. Future of Freedom Foundation — Publishes Freedom Daily.
  18. National Center for Constitutional Studies — Public education on constitutional issues.
  19. Equal Justice Foundation — Works to restore due process and reverse the loss of our civil liberties.
  20. Wallbuilders — Rebuilding the foundations of constitutional liberty.
  21. Original Intent — Seek to return to strict constitutional construction.
  22. Transparency International — Global coalition against corruption.
  23. Citizens for Constitutional Government — Founded by Gary McLeod, based in South Carolina.
The only thing we have to decide is what to do with the time that has been given us. — Gandalf, Fellowship of the Ring

3. Focus on Second Amendment Rights — Also see Constitutional Defense page.

  1. Militia Units — Directories and Web sites
  2. Gun Owners of America, 8001 Forbes Place #102, Springfield, VA 22151, 703/321-8585 — The no-compromise poltical action group on firearm and militia rights.
  3. National Rifle Association — Defender of the Second Amendment, but a little weak on the rest of the Constitution.
  4. Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) — Another strong force for the RKBA.
  5. Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) — Tax-deductible companion to the CCRKBA.
  6. Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership — Defend Second Amendment from a Jewish perspective. But non-Jews are welcome to join, too.
  7. Opencarry.org — Promotes open carry legislation.
  8. Concerned Citizens Opposed to Police States (CCOPS) — Oppose abuses of power.
  9. The Law Enforcement Alliance of America — Unites law enforcement professionals, opposes gun control.
  10. Women Against Gun Control — Unites women who refuse to be helpless victims.
  11. Knife Rights — Defend right to keep and bear knives and other non-firearm weapons.
  12. National Firearms Association — Canadian RKBA organization.
No one can be truly free who has not first said goodbye to life.
— Jon Roland, 1994

4. Focus on Jury Reform — Also see Jurisdiction and Due Process page.

  1. Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA) — Advocate jury nullification of unconstitutional statutes and law enforcement practices. Also see
  2. Jury Power — Working for jury reform at the state level.
Necessity is the plea of every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. — William Pitt

5. Focus on Public Education — Also see Public Education page.

  1. American Patriot Network — Support collabotation among different patriot groups.
  2. Declaration Foundation — Seeks education on founding documents in schools.
  3. National Reform Association — Seek to maintain and promote in national life the Christian principles of civil government.
  4. LEXREX — Dedicated to the Rule of Law.
  5. Conservative Caucus — "Conservative activist's toolbox for restoring constitutional government".
  6. Citizens’ Investigative Commission (CIC) — Expose official wrongdoing from a conservative position.
  7. Media Research Center — Exposes bias in news reporting.
  8. Accuracy in Media — Tries to correct bias and inaccuracy in mainstream news reporting.
  9. Libertarianism Page — Presently mostly devoted to excerpts from David Boaz' books, but expanding.
  10. John Birch Society — Opposes socialism and threats to constitutional liberties.
  11. Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America — These two organizations are engaged in what amounts to militia training of young people, although they are not aware that that is what they are doing. This training needs to be further developed to put more emphasis on military, law enforcement, and disaster preparedness, and scouts need to be taught to interpret their constitutions.
The good men may do separately is small compared with what they may do collectively. — Benjamin Franklin

6. Focus on Research and Publication

  1. Family Guardian Fellowship -legal education and law enforcement
  2. Sovereignty Education and Defense Ministry (SEDM) - common law litigation
  3. Independence Institute — Good source for books.
  4. Independent Institute — Publish scholarly journal, The Independent Review, and operate a bookstore with some excellent selections. Based in Oakland, California.
  5. Heritage Foundation — Publishes the Policy Review.
  6. Cato Institute — Conservative-Libertarian think tank.
  7. Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace — Conservative think tank.
  8. State Policy Network — Service organization for America's state-based, free market think tank movement.
  9. Ethan Allen Institute — Vermont's independent, nonpartisan, free-market-oriented public policy think tank.
  10. Reason Foundation (Los Angeles)
  11. Georgia Public Policy Foundation (Atlanta)
  12. American Enterprise Institute (Washington DC)
  13. James Madison Institute (Florida)
  14. Hudson Institute (Indianapolis)
  15. Heartland Institute (Illinois)
  16. Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan)
  17. Montreal Economic Institute (Montreal, Canada)
  18. Atlas Economic Research Foundation (Fairfax, VA)
  19. Center for Education Reform (Washington DC)
  20. Competitive Enterprise Institute (Washington DC)
  21. Free Market.Net (Chicago)
  22. Goldwater Institute (Arizona)
  23. Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute — Focus on women's issues from a more conservative position.
  24. National Center for Policy Analysis — A think tank. See especially the article"Nationalizing Crime".
  25. Potomac Institute for Policy Studies — Focus on defense acquisition reform, dual use technology, space commercialization, and threats from terrorism.
  26. Claremont Institute — Seeks to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life.
  27. Center for Public Integrity — Does investigative reports on the influence of money on the political process.
  28. Ludwig von Mises Institute — Supports a free-market, private-property order, and opposes government power as economically and morally destructive.
  29. Foundation for Economic Education — Promotes the principles of sound economics, including individual freedom, private property, limited government and free trade.
  30. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research — A think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.
  31. Freedom.org — Promotes individual freedom, private property rights, free markets, and national sovereignty.

7. Focus on Voting, Elections and Campaign Finance — Also see Electoral Process page.

8. Narrow-Focus Groups

  1. National Inflation Association (NIA) — Opposes unsound fiscal and monetary policies.
  2. Forfeiture Endangers American Rights (FEAR) — Opposes civil forfeiture statutes.
  3. Center for Judicial Accountability (CJA) — Seek reform of the for Judicial Accountability (CJA) — Seek reform of the judicial system.
  4.  J.A.I.L. 4 Judges — One approach to holding judges accountable for their conduct..
  5. The Liberty Alliance Project — Advancing an alternative to a national ID system to avoid identity theft but preserve liberty.
  6. Justice at Stake Campaign — Concerned about threats to judicial independence and the influence of money in judicial campaigns.
  7. We the People Foundation — Focus on unlawful income tax and IRS practices.
  8. Constitutional Law Foundation — Seeks to advance the intergenerational concern for posterity stated in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
  9. RestoreDemocracy — Seek democratic accountability for corporations.
  10. Papers, Please! — Raise constitutional objections to "war on drugs".
  11. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) — For free speech, individual liberty, religious freedom, the rights of conscience, legal equality, due process, and academic freedom on our nation's campuses.
  12. Council for the National Interest — Focus on avoiding undue foreign influences on U.S. policy.
  13. MoveOn.org — Online progressive activists, pro-Democrat.
  14. Conflict Solutions International — Seek to resolve conflicts at the international level.
  15. National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) — Advocates lessening and removing various legal restrictions that are imposed on young people but not adults.

9. Umbrella Groups and Forums

  1. Operation Unification — Umbrella/coalition of libertarian reform groups and sites.
  2. Freedom Force International — Encourages freedom seekers to seek power in every power center of society.
  3. Young Americans for Freedom — Unites youth in defense of the Constitution.
  4. Free Republic — Umbrella group for many reform organizations.
  5. Constitution Club — Umbrella network for constitutionalist study and action groups.

10. Directories of Advocacy Groups

  1. Remote Link - HTML World Advocacy — Find groups with similar interests to your own.

11. Legal Associations

  1. Federalist Society (FS)— Coalition of conservative and libertarian lawyers and legal scholars.
  2. American Constitution Society (ACS)— Formerly the Madison Society. Coalition of statist lawyers, in opposition to the Federalist Society.
  3. National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) — Involved in reform of the criminal justice system.
  4. Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) — Defend rights of Texans.
  5. Freedom Lawyers of America (FLA)— An association for libertarian attorneys.
  6. Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR) — Recently focused on executive branch usurpations in connection with "war on terrorism".
  7. American Judicature Society (AJS)— Works for independence and integrity of the courts.
  8. American Bar Association (ABA) — The Legal Establishment.
  9. American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) — More about winning and making large fees than justice or ethics.
  10. American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)— Lobbying organization that supports legislation that benefits trial lawyers.

12. Academic Associations

  1. Adam Smith Society — Business students with political concerns.

13. Congressional Caucuses

  1. Liberty Committee — Nationwide grassroot organization centered on a caucus of members of Congress dedicated to seek a strict-constitutional approach to legislation.

14. Republican Movements — There are enough to justify their own page.

15. Separatist and Independence Movements — There are enough to justify their own page.

16. Freedom Movements — There are enough to justify their own page.

17. Political Parties

  1. United States
    1. Libertarian Party — One of the more important parties emphasizing constitutional compliance.
      1. Libertarian Party of Texas
        1. Libertarian Party of Travis County (Austin)
        2. Libertarian Longhorns (University of Texas at Austin)
        3. Libertarian Party of Dallas County
    2. Constitution Party, formerly the U.S. Taxpayers Party — Focused on constitutional compliance.
      1. American Constitution Party of Colorado — Colorado affiliate.
      2. American Constitution Party of Texas — Texas affiliate.
    3. Independent American Party — To promote respect for life, liberty and property; strong traditional families; patriotism; and individual, state and national sovereignty.
    4. Natural Law Party — Seek to base public policy on scientific principles.
    5. Green Party — Devoted to protecting the ecosystem. International, with many national affiliates.
    6. Republican National Committee — Parent organization of the Republican Party.
      1. Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) — Libertarian-constitutionalist wing.
        1. Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas
        2. Republican Liberty Caucus of Massachusetts
      2. Republican Liberty Caucus — Alternate site.
      3. National Republican Senatorial Committee — Campaign resource for senatorial candidates.
      4. National Federation of Republican Assemblies — Grass roots, conservative wing, anti-abortion.
    7. Democratic National Committee — Parent organization of the Democratic Party.
      1. Democratic Freedom Caucus — Libertarian wing.
      2. Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) — "Moderate" wing.
      3. Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) — "Defining the third way". Alter ego of the DLC.
      4. New Democrat Network (NDN) — PAC for the DLC.
      5. Progressive Challenge project of the Institute for Policy Studies — Strategic planning arm.
      6. Progressive Caucus — Statist wing of the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
      7. Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — Seek patronage and paternal government.
      8. Social Democrats — Allied with similar parties across the world, and with the Democrat Party in the United States.

18. Non-partisan Policy Groups

  1. American Conservative Union (ACU) — Rate members of Congress.
  2. Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) — Rate members of Congress.
  3. League of Conservation Voters (LCV) — Rate members of Congress.

19. Minority Rights

  1. American Indian Movement — Organized to protect the rights of Native Americans. Was targeted by the FBI COINTELPRO program.
  2. Native American Links — One collection, mostly to various organizations.
  3. Native American Links — Another collection, including most the same links as the previous one, but it doesn't hurt to have another.
  4. Spirits of the Land Foundation — Has a directory of National Indian Organizations.
  5. LatinoLink Home Page — Links to most organizations working for the rights of Latinos and Native Americans.
  6. Afro Americ@ Home Page — Many links to organizations for rights of Afro-Americans.
  7. Black Panther Party — No official home page yet, but until they do, Bobby Seale's Homepage will do.
  8. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) — One of the oldest.
  9. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) — Another of the older organizations.
  10. American Indian Foundation For Law And Justice — Dedicated to the prevention of civil and human rights violations against American Indians,and to secure self determination for all American Indian nations.

20. Defense Committees for Persecuted Individuals — Also see Abuses and Usurpations page.

  1. Red Hawk Leonard Peltier Defense Committee — Native American activist convicted of a crime he didn't commit.

21. Privacy & Security

  1. Electronic Privacy Information Center — Resist use of social security number as national identification number.
  2. Privacy Coalition — Combined effort to fight government attempts to control private encryption.
  3. Public Citizen Litigation Group — Have recently defended anonymous speech.
  4. Privacy Foundation — Seek to protect the right of privacy against government and corporate intrusion.
  5. Association to Stop Unconstitutional Fingerprinting (ASUF) — Oppose mandatory biometric identification.
  6. National Organization for Non-Enumeration — Opposes national identification system, based on social security number, and other usurpations. Also see our Citizen Action page section on Privacy.

22. Computers & Internet

  1. Center for Democracy and Technology — Active in defense of rights of Internet users and others.
  2. Electronic Frontier Foundation — Defends Internet users against abuses by government. Has much valuable material on activism.
  3. Internet Users Consortium — Defends rights of Internet users.
  4. Free Software Foundation — Advocate open source.
  5. Global Internet Liberty Campagn — International effort. Temporary site here.

23. Worldwide

  1. Amnesty International — Defend rights of political prisoners and oppressed dissidents throughout the world.
  2. International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) — Members in over 80 countries dedicated to building a free and peaceful world, respect for individual rights and liberties, and an open and competitive economic system based on voluntary exchange and free trade.
  3. The Constitution Society — British organization focused on the traditional, unwritten constitution of the U.K.
  4. ‘Ya Basta! EZLN — The Zapatistas, a Mexican branch of the worldwide militia movement.
  5. One Nation — Australian reform party.
  6. Global Exchange — Lead role in organizing protests against several world organizations that threaten human rights.
  7. International Bundesbrief Association — To celebrate the Swiss Federal Charter of 1291.

24. Other Non-Profit Organizations

  1. Lancasterian Society — Support private schools using the Lancasterian Monitorial System, a method that uses more advanced students to teach less advanced students, and teach each at his or her own best rate.
  2. Evergreen State Society — A Center for Civic Initiative.
  3. The Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — It once appeared that they were dominated by people with enough integrity to quit, indicated by the list of FBI Books they had, which was similar to the US Intelligence Agency FBI Books list. But they sent an email message saying they were "loyal" to their former organization, and took the page down. No mention about being loyal to the Constitution.

25. Survival

  1. Greenpeace International (Amsterdam) — An eco-militia.
  2. League of Conservation Voters — Try to defeat legislative abusers of our environment and resources.

26. Heritage Groups

  1. National Society Sons of the American Revolution — Descendents of those involved in the Revolution.
  2. National Society Daughters of the American Revolution — Descendents of those involved in the Revolution.
  3. Sons of the Revolution — Second oldest Revolutionary War hereditary group in the United States.
  4. American Sons of Liberty — Seeks to revive the spirit of the historical Sons of Liberty.
  5. Acton Institute — Dedicated to the study religion and liberty, with a focus on the thought of Lord Acton (1834-1902), famous for the 1887 quote: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
  6. American Antiquarian Society (AAS) — Repository of documents from early America.
  7. Society of American Archivists (SAA) — Association for preservation of original documents.

27. Property and Privacy Rights — We have a separate subsite for this large topic.

28. Money Matters — Separate page for groups involving these.

29. Tax Matters — Separate page for groups involving these.

Constitution Research
Last revision: 20250625