American Center for Law and Justice 
The information on this page was last updated 9/28/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Founded in 1990 with the mandate to protect religious and constitutional freedoms, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) engages legal, legislative, and cultural issues by implementing an effective strategy of advocacy, education, and litigation that includes representing clients before the Supreme Court of the United States and international tribunals around the globe.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the ACLJ's work reaches across the globe with affiliated offices in Israel, Russia, France, Pakistan, South Korea, and Zimbabwe. In addition to its religious liberties work, the ACLJ also focuses on constitutional law involving the issues of national security, human life, judicial nominations, and protecting patriotic expression such as our National Motto and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Contact information
Mailing address:
American Center for Law and Justice
PO Box 90555
Washington, DC 20090-0555
Website: www.aclj.org
Phone: (757) 802-9160
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 541586817
CEO/President: Dr. Jay Alan Sekulow
Chairman: Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson
Board size: 8
Founder: Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson
Ruling year: 1994
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 03/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is a public benefit corporation committed to insuring the ongoing viability of constitutional freedoms in accordance with principles of justice as outlined in Scripture. As a public interest law firm the ACLJ is dedicated to the concept that freedom and democracy are God given inalienable rights that must be protected both domestically and internationally.
The ACLJ engages in litigation, provides legal services, renders advice and counsels clients, and supports attorneys who are involved in defending the religious and civil liberties of Americans.
The American Center has a national network of attorneys who are committed to the defense of Judeo-Christian values. We also cooperate with other organizations that are committed to a similar mission, and serve the public through educational efforts regarding First Amendment and religious freedom issues as well as pro-family and pro-life concerns.
As a nonprofit organization that does not charge for its legal services, the American Center for Law and Justice is dependent upon God and the resources He provides through the time, talent, and gifts of people who share their concerns over the erosion of our religious and civil liberties.
Mission statement
American Center for Law and Justice, Inc. d/b/a American Center for Law and Justice - National is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation as defined under Section 501(C)(3) on the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).
The Center and it globally affiliated organizations are committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of freedom and liberty in the United States and around the world. By focusing on the U.S. constitutional law, European Union law and human rights law, the Center and its affiliated organizations are dedicated to the concept that freedom and liberty are universal, God-given and inalienable rights that must be protected.
The Center and its worldwide affiliates engage in litigation, provide legal services, render advice to individuals and governmental agencies, as well as counsel clients on global freedom and liberty issues. The Center and its affiliated organizations also support training law students from around the world in order to protect religious liberty and safeguard human rights and dignity.
Statement of faith
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Advocacy
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 20 of 1115 | 2 of 40 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 151 of 1116 | 2 of 40 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 57 of 1116 | 6 of 40 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 34 of 1115 | 2 of 40 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 9% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 7% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 95% | 98% | 99% | 100% | 98% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 7% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 5% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 2% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 81% | 89% | 89% | 88% | 89% | 89% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 97% | 99% | 100% | 100% | 99% | 98% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 76% | 89% | 89% | 88% | 88% | 88% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 3% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 2% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 5% | 7% | 1% | 1% | 18% | 29% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.92 | 9.31 | 9.08 | 8.55 | 10.52 | 9.81 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.36 | 1.06 | 1.02 | 1.03 | 1.04 | 1.03 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.87 | 9.84 | 9.31 | 8.80 | 10.99 | 10.06 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 14.13 | 4.69 | 4.94 | 5.00 | 5.44 | 3.67 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.21 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.27 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.67 | 0.96 | 1.03 | 1.09 | 0.89 | 0.87 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 21% | 26% | 24% | 25% | 27% | 37% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 77% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 7% | 6% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Cash | $916,263 | $759,937 | $653,060 | $692,418 | $763,281 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $264,204 | $234,320 | $348,495 | $187,776 | $107,562 |
| Short-term investments | $1,552,420 | $1,634,347 | $1,566,808 | $1,239,264 | $1,370,786 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $2,732,887 | $2,628,604 | $2,568,363 | $2,119,458 | $2,241,629 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $61,663 | $65,623 | $74,636 | $94,962 | $56,236 |
| Other long-term assets | $94,035 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $155,698 | $65,623 | $74,636 | $94,962 | $56,236 |
| Total assets | $2,888,585 | $2,694,227 | $2,642,999 | $2,214,420 | $2,297,865 |
| Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $582,710 | $532,210 | $513,616 | $389,453 | $610,190 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $582,710 | $532,210 | $513,616 | $389,453 | $610,190 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $179,064 | $107,248 | $139,724 | $204,775 | $237,687 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $179,064 | $107,248 | $139,724 | $204,775 | $237,687 |
| Total liabilities | $761,774 | $639,458 | $653,340 | $594,228 | $847,877 |
| Net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Without donor restrictions | $2,126,811 | $2,054,769 | $1,989,659 | $1,620,192 | $1,449,988 |
| With donor restrictions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $2,126,811 | $2,054,769 | $1,989,659 | $1,620,192 | $1,449,988 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Total contributions | $26,529,144 | $24,339,064 | $22,591,087 | $23,139,467 | $22,721,679 |
| Program service revenue | $445,400 | $70,257 | $0 | $397,298 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $45,335 | $68,201 | $24,292 | $38,209 | $220,762 |
| Other revenue | $12,029 | $15,342 | $9,171 | $19,938 | $22,590 |
| Total other revenue | $502,764 | $153,800 | $33,463 | $455,445 | $243,352 |
| Total revenue | $27,031,908 | $24,492,864 | $22,624,550 | $23,594,912 | $22,965,031 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Program services | $23,927,487 | $21,695,631 | $19,956,227 | $20,756,367 | $20,130,544 |
| Management and general | $2,429,033 | $2,193,827 | $2,128,833 | $2,108,457 | $2,022,589 |
| Fundraising | $530,249 | $586,078 | $525,662 | $434,540 | $392,715 |
| Total expenses | $26,886,769 | $24,475,536 | $22,610,722 | $23,299,364 | $22,545,848 |
| Change in net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $145,139 | $17,328 | $13,828 | $295,548 | $419,183 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $145,139 | $17,328 | $13,828 | $295,548 | $419,183 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Thomas P Monaghan Esq | Sr. Counsel/Secretary/Treasurer | $554,839 |
| Frank Manion Esq | Senior Attorney/Officer | $519,107 |
| Matthew Clark Esq | Senior Attorney | $492,007 |
| Ben Sisney | Senior Attorney | $420,639 |
| Ed White Esq | Senior Attorney | $412,548 |
| Gary Sekulow Cpa Cgma | CFO/VP of Finance | $397,079 |
| Harry G Hutchison Esq | Senior Attorney | $381,474 |
| Miles Terry | Former Attorney | $376,268 |
| Robert Ash Esq | Senior Attorney | $288,581 |
| James Murphy Esq | VP of Admin | $126,714 |
Compensation data as of: 3/31/2023
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 9/28/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
In 1990, Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson, a Yale law school graduate, religious leader, entrepreneur, and concerned citizen, decided to act to undo the damage done by almost a century of liberal thinking and activism. He founded the American Center for Law and Justice.
The ACLJ, in just a few years, has become this nation's pre-eminent public interest law firm and educational organization dedicated to defending and advancing religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, and the two-parent, marriage-bound family.
From the U.S. Supreme Court to local school boards, lawyers of the ACLJ have been defending the rights of believers, standing up for the unborn, the elderly and the infirm, and reasserting the primary rights of parents and the centrality of the family.
Already the ACLJ has proven a formidable opponent to those who would seek to undermine these fundamental institutions of the American civilization. Here are just a few examples of how the American Center for Law and Justice has helped people who have had their religious or civil liberties attacked.
- When abortion supporters alleged that pro-life social protest was discrimination against women, the ACLJ went to the U.S. Supreme Court in Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic and guaranteed that persons opposed to abortion are free to express those views peacefully without the threat of censorship or recrimination through the misuse of federal anti-discrimination laws.
- When a school would not rent its facilities to a local church because of the religious content of the church's message, we went to the U.S. Supreme Court in Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches School District, and won the important right for religious groups to have equal access to public facilities.
- When students are told they cannot start Bible clubs in their schools, or when their Bible clubs don't receive equal treatment like other clubs, our legal teams spring into action to defend the student's rights.
These victories have been accomplished in spite of the intense opposition of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU). They have openly named us as their adversary. So have People for the American Way, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Planned Parenthood and many other special-interest activist groups.
The hostility of these organizations is a backdoor compliment. It shows us that we are making progress. It means that we cannot, we must not, stop or slow down our efforts.
Program accomplishments
The Organization has participated in numerous Supreme Court, circuit court, court of appeals and state superior court cases regarding freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and other U.S. constitutional issues. Research staff at the Center provides up to date information regarding various cases related to the protection of religious freedom and human rights.