ACLU

Introduction
Pro quotes
Con quotes
Historical timeline
- 1915-1939
  - 1915-1917 - Formation of the American Union Against Militarism and the National Civil Liberties Bureau
  - Jan. 20, 1920 - American Civil Liberties Union is formed
  - 1920 - "Palmer Raids" arrest immigrant union organizers
  - 1923 - ACLU’s first permanent affiliate is founded in Southern California
  - Mar. 21, 1925 - Jan. 15, 1927 - Scopes Trial: ACLU combats Tennessee anti-evolution law
  - June 8, 1925 - ACLU’s first Supreme Court Case: Gitlow v. People of the State of New York
  - Jan. 1931 - Congressional committee report finds ACLU "closely affiliated" with communism
  - Oct. 23, 1939 - HUAC chairman declares no ACLU-communist connection
- 1940-1959
  - Feb. 5, 1940 - 1940 resolution: ACLU bars totalitarian supporters from leadership positions
  - Feb. 19 - June 22, 1942 - ACLU split over Executive Order 9066 - Japanese internment
  - Dec. 18, 1944 - ACLU aids Japanese-American in Korematsu v. United States
  - 1950 - Malin becomes ACLU executive director and ACLU expands
  - 1950s - ACLU opposes loyalty oaths
  - May 17, 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education: End of school segregation
  - 1959 - ACLU publishes "Secret Detention by the Police" study
- 1960-1979
  - 1960 - “Operation Abolition,” House Un-American Activities Committee documentary, and “Operation Correction,” ACLU’s response documentary
  - June 19, 1961 - ACLU files brief in Mapp v. Ohio: Extending federal exclusionary rule to states
  - 1962 - Pemberton succeeds Malin as executive director
  - Mar. 18, 1963 - Gideon v. Wainwright: Guaranteed right to an attorney
  - 1964 - Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee (LCDC) is created
  - June 13, 1966 - Miranda v. Arizona: Reading of rights upon arrest
  - Jan. - June 1968 - Defense of Dr. Spock splits ACLU on civil disobedience policy
  - June 1970 - ACLU announces opposition to Vietnam War
  - Oct. 1970 - Aryeh Neier appointed executive director
  - June 30, 1971 - ACLU files amicus brief opposing injunction of Pentagon Papers
  - Nov. 22, 1971 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg key figure in ACLU’s women’s rights projects and Reed v. Reed
  - Oct. 14, 1973 - ACLU supports Nixon impeachment proceedings
  - 1977 - ACLU defends right of American-Nazi to march in Skokie, IL
  - 1978 - ACLU membership and contributions drop
  - Oct. 1978 - Glasser replaces Neier as ACLU executive director
- 1980-1999
  - May 11, 1981 - Attorney General Edwin Meese III calls the ACLU a “criminals’ lobby”
  - Aug. 26, 1981 - ACLU co-founder and first executive director Roger Baldwin dies
  - Jan. 5, 1982 - “Scopes II” - McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education: Creation science and evolution
  - Sep. 1, 1987 - ACLU opposes Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination in a reversal of policy
  - July 21, 1988 - ACLU files amicus brief supporting Oliver North in Iran-Contra indictment
  - Oct. 1988 - ACLU’s first TV ad to defend against H.W. Bush’s “card carrying” comment
  - July 3, 1989 - Allegheny County v. Greater Pittsburgh ACLU: Christian nativity scene violates the Establishment Clause
  - June 27, 1997 - Reno v. ACLU: Communications Decency Act is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech
  - 1999 - ACLU annual income tops $45 million
- 2000-2009
  - Mar. 23, 2001 - Former ACLU leaders contradict ACLU stance on xonstitutionality of McCain-Feingold bill
  - Sep. 7, 2001 - Anthony Romero becomes new ACLU executive director
  - Nov. 26, 2002 - Libertarian and former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) joins ACLU
  - Jan. 12, 2003 - Post-9/11 ACLU membership nears 330,000
  - Jan. 12, 2004 - ACLU files amicus brief on behalf of conservative Rush Limbaugh
  - June 29, 2004 - Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union: Child Online Protection Act is a violation of free speech
  - June 27, 2005 - McCreary County v. ACLU: A Ten Commandments display is unconstitutional
  - June 29, 2006 - ACLU files amicus brief supporting Osama bin Laden’s former chauffer in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
- 2010-2017
  - Jan. 16, 2010 - U.S. military releases Bagram detainee names based on ACLU FOIA lawsuit
  - Aug. 3, 2010 - ACLU supports proposed building of Islamic cultural center near World Trade Center
  - July 18, 2012 - ACLU files lawsuit challenging drone strikes against American citizens in Yemen
  - June 11, 2013 - ACLU sues NSA over surveillance program
  - Aug. 13, 2013 - ACLU sues North Carolina over constitutionality of new voter ID law
  - Aug. 14, 2013 - CIA denies ACLU Freedom of Information Act request on U.S. drone program for national security reasons
  - June 14, 2016 - CIA releases documents on detention and interrogation based on ACLU FOIA lawsuit
  - Jan. 17, 2017 - President Obama commutes sentence of Chelsea Manning after lobbying from the ACLU
  - Jan 29, 2017 - ACLU membership and donations surge following election of President Trump
  - Aug. 17, 2017 - ACLU announces new policy against defending hate groups that carry firearms at protests
  - Aug. 17, 2017 - Settlement reached in landmark ACLU lawsuit against CIA interrogation

References & Edit History Related Topics

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ACLU: References & Edit History

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The Editors of ProCon
ProCon's editors write and verify new content and update existing content. ProCon presents the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Legacy debate box added.	The Editors of ProCon	Jul 21, 2026
	Subtitle adjusted.	The Editors of ProCon	Feb 11, 2026
	Copy edit.	The Editors of ProCon	Nov 25, 2024
	Title edit.	The Editors of ProCon	Nov 22, 2024
	New article added.	The Editors of ProCon	Nov 21, 2024