Carter Linke has joined the ACLU of South Dakota’s advocacy department as a legislative session intern.
As an advocacy intern, Linke will develop substantive skills and professional experience through on-the-job learning. He'll work alongside ACLU advocacy staff on a variety of issues and be responsible for tracking the movement of the ACLU's priority legislation, monitoring committee hearings and floor sessions, and facilitating communication with stakeholders, legislators, and coalition partners.
“Carter’s experience and educational background, interest in constitutional rights and commitment to civil rights made him a natural fit for our legislative session internship,” said Libby Skarin, ACLU of South Dakota acting executive director. “Carter will be a vital contributor to our work in Pierre. We’re excited to help him grow and develop his advocacy skills even more.”
Linke, a native of Woonsocket, S.D., is a senior political science and strategic communication major at the University of South Dakota and will graduate in May. At USD, Linke has served in many different leadership roles in the Student Government Association, Charlie’s Cupboard, and the First-Generation Student Organization. He’s also a community advocate in Vermillion and has volunteered with local political campaigns and different nonprofit organizations.
About the ACLU of South Dakota
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of South Dakota is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and Wyoming. The team in South Dakota is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit communities. The ACLU of South Dakota carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of South Dakota.
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