Collection on the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union

The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1952 with the stated goal of protecting the civil liberties of Minnesotans through legislation, education, and political lobbying. This was done in order to guard against legislation that would impact the civil liberties and civil rights of the citizens of Minnesota. This led them to take the cases of people with both popular and unpopular views. However, it was not the views of their clients that were seen as important, but the possible violation of their legal rights. They incorporated in August of 1967.

This collection deals with material from 1962 until 1997. During this time they took a number of cases from individuals and orgainzations that felt their rights had been threatened. This included cases relating to: opposition to the draft during the Vietnam War, denial of legal counsel to accused criminals, defending the rights of police officers, defending the rights of the people to receive information, and the separation of church and state. These cases were taken up against various people and organizations including the University of Minnesota, various cities and school boards in Minnesota, and even the Department of Immigration.