The ACLU specifically DOES NOT care. In fact they see themselves as specifically outside public opinion.
This is about attorney fees.
Take away the award of attorney fees for plaintiffs. The ACLU gets attorneys' fees WIN OR LOSE! Its the way the law is written. The city could win but STILL have to pay off the ACLU "just because"!
That is 100% incorrect. There is no law anywhere that allows plaintiffs, ACLU or otherwise, to collect attorney's fees regardless of who wins the lawsuit. They can only collect if they win.