Correspondence, press releases, and memos, 1936-1969

File — Box: 169, Folder: 35

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) records cover the years 1900 to 2000, with the bulk dating from 1934, when the Northern California branch was permanently established in San Francisco. Comprising correspondence, minutes, policy statements, annual reports, legal documents, attorneys’ working notes, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other printed material created or collected by the ACLU-NC, these voluminous records document the establishment and activities of the northern California branch, including and especially its wide-ranging efforts – on the legislative, legal, and educational fronts – to protect and extend individual liberties in California. Administrative records (series 1), subject files (series 2), legal case files (series 3), and scrapbooks (series 4) illuminate some of the major social and political conflicts of the twentieth century in California and nationwide, including: the 1934 waterfront and general strike; the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; the mandatory loyalty oaths and HUAC hearings of the late 1940s and 1950s; the social movements of the 1960s, including the Free Speech, anti-war, and civil rights movements; battles over abortion, immigration, and gay rights in the 1970s and ’80s; and privacy and censorship controversies raised by the popularization of the Internet in the 1990s. Administrative records (series 1) also document the activities of the ACLU’s national office in New York and its sometimes strained relationship with the northern California affiliate.

The 2011 additions to the case files are comprised of over 100 ACLU legal cases dated 1974-1993, and cover such topics as: police brutality and excessive use of force by police officers as well as the complicit oversight of those in supervisory positions; affirmative action in a variety of employment contexts; the mechanics of school desegregation; the right to protest and the attempt to curtail this right by a variety of institutions; immigrant rights; overly broad city ordinances which attempt to limit activities such as prostitution and loitering by the homeless; the reproductive rights of Medi-Cal patients; prisoners rights in a variety of contexts, including juvenile prisoners; workplace harassment; unfair or discriminatory discharge from employment situations; and the rights of those attempting to negotiate a fair employment contract through a union.

The materials included in the additions to the case files include: correspondence, newspaper clippings, press releases, official court documents, and attorney notes.

Dates

1936-1969

Conditions Governing Access

Consistent with the ACLU-NC’s support for freedom of information and informed public discourse on matters of public interest, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records are open to researchers. However, some categories of records in the collection are restricted to protect privacy, confidentiality, and attorney-client privilege. These restrictions are identified in the Access Policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California Archives at the California Historical Society and summarized below.

All researchers must sign the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California Archives Records Access Agreement, confirming that they have read and understood the restrictions outlined in the Access Policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California Archives at the California Historical Society. These documents are available at the reference desk and can be sent by e-mail.

Restricted Materials in the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records, MS 3580:

Personnel records: Records that deal with personnel issues are closed during the lifetime of the person to whom they apply. This restriction will be lifted if the person to whom the records apply gives his or her permission in writing to disclose said information.

Administrative records: Records maintained by ACLU-NC administrators are closed for 20 years after the creation of the record or 10 years after its deposit at the California Historical Society, whichever is later, but in no case for more than 30 years after the creation of the record.

Development records: Records relating to financial support from foundations or other legal entities but not to individuals or their family foundations are closed for the same period as administrative records. If they contain information about substantive policy issues, records relating to individual donors or their family foundations are closed for the same period as administrative records. Where opened, the portions relating to individuals or their family foundations are closed during the lifetime of the person to whom they apply. This restriction will be lifted if the person to whom the records apply gives his or her permission in writing to disclose said information.

Legal case records:

Work-product privileged records, including correspondence, memoranda, drafts or briefs prepared in anticipation of litigation, written statements of witnesses, and notes of mental impressions or personal recollections prepared or formed by an attorney, are closed for 20 years after the case to which they apply is closed.

Attorney-client privileged records, including any documents reflecting an exchange of communication with a client or a potential client made for the purpose of furnishing or obtaining professional legal advice and assistance, are closed for 75 years after the creation of the record for all clients except children, where the period of closure is 100 years after the creation of the record.

Other confidential records, including classified documents, documents that a court has placed under seal or subject to a protective order, and documents that identify clients who have been represented anonymously or pseudonymously, are permanently closed unless the records are declassified or unsealed, the protective order is modified, or the client or the client’s legal representative has waived the privilege in writing.