This award-winning documentary from the makers of the BAFTA-nominated Weiner opens with footage from Donald J. Trump’s swearing-in, in which he vows to uphold the US Constitution. A week later, the 45th President’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ prompts the first of 150-plus lawsuits launched by the ACLU against his administration, covering a smorgasbord of alleged constitutional violations.
With Trump in the White House — criming in public, packing the courts with rubber-stamping Republicans and seemingly using the justice department as his own taxpayer-funded legal team — there’s clearly too much ground for a single film to cover. The filmmakers therefore limit the scope to four key cases, covering voter rights (whether a question about citizenship can be added to the 2020 census), immigrant rights (asylum seekers being separated from their children), LGBTQ+ rights (a proposed ban on transgender individuals in the military) and reproductive rights (whether a woman seeking an abortion can be prevented from having one). So far, so liberal.
But the film doesn’t shy away from the ACLU’s more controversial stances, such as its successful battle to force the infamous white supremacists’ march in Charlottesville, Virginia, to go ahead – a consequence of which was the murder of Heather Heyer. “We have a policy of defending those with whom we disagree, including white supremacists,” explains legal director David Cole, yet The Fight hints at divisions opening up about the extent to which free speech should be defended.
It’s gruelling, frustrating work, that clearly takes its toll on the lawyers working tirelessly on behalf of the voiceless masses whose lives are directly affected by Trump’s policies, and although the cameras can’t be everywhere, they are present to capture the moments when the Supreme Court hands down life-changing victories and heartbreaking defeats — cases that often begin with the ACLU tweeting, “See you in court.”
