Contents and Arrangement
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Subseries 1E.8: Departments: Legal, 1937-1980

17 boxes

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

This subseries (7.65 linear feet) provides partial documentation of issues of importance to ACLU lawyers from 1937-1980. There are no materials for the years 1962 to 1964, 1975, and 1978 to 1979.

The first three boxes (337-339) contain subject files from 1937 through 1954. The bulk of the materials are from 1950-1954. These files contain research papers, correspondence, reports, court documents, and printed materials. Boxes 340 to 345 contain subject files from 1946-1960, with some background materials from earlier years. These files are arranged alphabetically by title. The files document areas of interest for the ACLU's legal counsels. Included are memoranda, correspondence (much of it from staff counsel Rowland Watts), legal documents, and various printed materials. Included in box 337 is a statistical breakdown by subject matter of all ACLU cases undertaken from 1946-1953. A printed version of this is located in the ACLU printed materials subseries. Boxes 345 and 346 also contain several folders titled Legal Matters from 1952-1959. These are miscellaneous documents pertaining to the running of the department.

Boxes 346 to 353 cover the years 1965-1974 and are arranged chronologically then alphabetically by subject. The files contain requests for assistance, correspondence and memoranda on legal issues with ACLU lawyers (much of it from legal director Mel Wulf and assistant legal director Eleanor Holmes Norton), and legal documents. There are two files from 1977 and 1980 containing minutes of General Counsel meetings.

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Collection History

Appraisal

During the processing of this collection, many items were discarded, including newspaper clippings from the New York Times and other major newspapers, government publications, well- known serial publications, and publications and large distribution memoranda from well-known and well-documented organizations such as the American Jewish Committee or Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Sponsorship:

These papers were processed with the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Paula Jabloner in 1994-1996 with the assistance of Assistant Archivist for Technical Services Daniel Linke, Special Collections Assistants Amy Escott, Claire Johnston, Alison McCuaig, and Tom Rosko, and students Laurie Alexander, Christina Aragon, Laura Burt, Jue Chen, Clement Doyle, Joe Faber, Said Farah, Boyd Goodson, Naomi Harlin, Janet Hine, Matthew Honahan, Katherine Johnson, Damian Long, Theresa Marchitto, Laura Myones, Olivia Kew, Grace Koo, Dan Sack, Bijan Salehizadeh, Tina Wang, Kyle Weston, and Elizabeth Williamson.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Subgroup 2 is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Subseries 1E.8: Departments: Legal; American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 2, Organizational Matters Series, MC001-02-01, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (mudd): Box 337-353

Find More

Existence and Location of Copies

Public records of the ACLU from 1917 to 1989, have been microfilmed by the Microfilming Corporation of America (MCA) and University Microfilms International (UMI). These records include minutes of the board of directors, mailings to the board of directors, biennial conference papers, policy guides, the national legal docket, organization manuals, constitution and bylaws, legal briefs, and publications. The American Civil Liberties Union Records and Publications 1917-1975: A Guide to the Microfilm Edition and succeeding guides to these materials are available in the reference room, and the microfilm itself is located in the microforms reading room.

The bound volumes of ACLU records covering 1917 through 1946 (volumes 1-2762) have been microfilmed and researchers must use the microfilm in order to prevent further deterioration of the these fragile volumes. Researchers should consult the finding aid to the earlier ACLU records (1917-1946) for their description and arrangement.

Related Materials

American Civil Liberties Union, Washington, D.C. Office Records

American United for the Separation of Church and State Records

Roger N. Baldwin Papers

Osmond K. Fraenkel Diaries

Fund for the Republic Records

Arthur Garfield Hays Papers

Peggy Lamson Collection on Roger N. Baldwin

Law Students Civil Rights Research Council Records

PEN American Center Records (at Firestone Library)

Other Finding Aids

This finding aid describes a portion of the American Civil Liberties Union Records held at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library. For an overview of the entire collection, instructions on searching the collection and requesting materials, and other information, please see the Guide to the American Civil Liberties Union Records.

Bibliography

Historical sketch based on In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the ACLU by Samuel Walker. See also Samuel Walker's The American Civil Liberties Union: An Annotated Bibliography.

Names:
American Union Against Militarism
United States. | Constitution. 1st-10th Amendments
Marshall Civil Liberties Trust Fund
National Civil Liberties Bureau (U.S.)
New York Times company
Baldwin, Roger N. (Roger Nash) (1884-1981)
Dorsen, Norman
Dulles, John Foster (1888-1959)
Ennis, Bruce J. (1941)
Epperson, Susan
Escobedo, Danny
Everson, Arch R.
Gault, Gerald Francis (1949 or 1950-)
Gideon, Clarence Earl
Griswold, Estelle
Hays, Arthur Garfield (1881-1954)
Holtzman, Elizabeth.
Jacobellis, Nico
Levy, Herbert Monte (1923)
Malin, Patrick Murphy (1903-1964)
Miranda, Ernesto
Neier, Aryeh (1937)
Neuborne, Burt (1941)
Nixon, Richard M. Richard Milhous (1913-1994)
Pemberton, John de J., Jr. (1919-2009)
Perry, Richard L.
Pound, Ezra (1885-1972)
Powell, John A. (John Anthony)
Reitman, Alan
Schempp, Edward L.
Schwarzschild, Henry
Scopes, John Thomas (1900-1970)
Seeger, Daniel A.
Tinker, John Frederick
Wulf, Melvin A.