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ACLU
Introduction
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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 - ACLUâs 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 - ACLUâs 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 - âOperation Abolition,â House Un-American Activities Committee documentary, and âOperation Correction,â ACLUâs 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 ACLUâs womenâs 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 âcriminalsâ lobbyâ
Aug. 26, 1981 - ACLU co-founder and first executive director Roger Baldwin dies
Jan. 5, 1982 - âScopes IIâ - 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 - ACLUâs first TV ad to defend against H.W. Bushâs âcard carryingâ 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 Ladenâs 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
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ACLU: Media
Is the American Civil Liberties Union good for America?
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