American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina records, 1960-2025
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Summary
- Creator:
- American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and Human Rights Archive (Duke University)
- Abstract:
- North Carolina affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, founded in 1965 and based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The records of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU of NC or ACLU-NC) date mainly from the 1960s-2010s and is ongoing. The collection is organized into the following series: ACLU Historical Files, Executive Director Office Files, Legal Program, Audiovisual Material, Print Material, Accession 2013-0209, Web Content, and Accession 2025-0020. Many files focus on the investigation and prosecution of cases related to civil rights, public education relating to civil liberties, and lobbying for civil liberties and human rights. Materials include correspondence files from the Executive Director's office and other unions in the ACLU of NC; thousands of case files; administrative files on cases, operations, and attorney's activities; lobbying and subject files; and printed materials and other records relating to organizational publications, outreach, and public education activities. There are also some audiovisual materials and electronic files including educational videos, ACLU of NC's website, and social media pages. Topics include civil rights and legal status of legally under-represented groups such as juveniles and high school students, incarcerated persons; LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants; education and academic freedoms; religious freedom and separation of church and state; freedom of expression (including desecration of the flag); racial inequalities and injustices; reproductive rights; women's rights; police misconduct and the legality of search procedures; drug testing and the decriminalization of drugs; voting rights, including issues surrounding reapportionment; and worker's rights, including unionization. Some files in the collection are on the Ku Klux Klan, Confederate displays, and right-wing organizations. Many of these issues span decades of ACLU involvement. Researchers consulting case files and any other materials should be aware of privacy laws that govern the publication and use of these records. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive at Duke University.
- Extent:
- 220.75 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.00012
Background
- Scope and content:
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The records of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU of NC or ACLU-NC) span multiple decades, from its inception in the 1960s to the 2010s, and is ongoing. The files provide documentation on nearly all aspects of the organization's operations, including the investigation of cases related to civil rights and many related issues, the legal prosecution of cases, public education relating to civil liberties, and lobbying for civil liberties and human rights. Materials include correspondence files from the Executive Director's office and other units in the ACLU of NC, beginning from the earliest years; thousands of case files dating from 1969 through the mid-2000s; the legal assistant's files on cases, operations, and attorney's activities; lobbying and subject files; and printed materials and other records relating to the ACLU-NC's organization, outreach, and public education activities as well as select materials from other civil rights organizations, ACLU nationally, and state chapters. There are also some slides related to arts cases, audiovisual and electronic files, and other materials. Commonly recurring social and legal issues to which the ACLU of NC dedicated its efforts and resources include but are not limited to: the civil rights and legal status of legally under-represented groups such as juveniles and high school students, incarcerated persons, LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants; education and academic freedoms; religious freedom and separation of church and state; freedom of expression (including desecration of the flag); racial inequalities and injustices; reproductive rights; women's rights; police misconduct and the legality of search procedures; drug testing and the decriminalization of drugs; voting rights, including issues surrounding reapportionment; and workers' rights, including unionization. There are also many files on the Ku Klux Klan, Confederate displays, and right-wing organizations in North Carolina.
The collection is open to use. However, researchers consulting case files and any other materials in this collection should be aware of privacy laws that govern the publication and use of these records, especially in the case of third party information. Most personal names have been removed from case file titles in this web-accessible collection guide. The full version is available only to on-site researchers.
The Legal Program Series, the largest series in the collection, chiefly consists of court case and other investigations files, and were created and maintained by the branch of the ACLU of NC called the North Carolina Legal Foundation. The files were marked variously as coming from the Office of the Legal Counsel or the Legal Program. These files were kept in their original order, which was generally chronological, though there are many overlapping series and fragmented sequences, some of which are alphabetical. When possible, the nature of the case or investigation is noted in a few words for each entry; keyword searching is the best means to discover names or topics (e.g., "parental consent," "prayer," "1st Amendment," "employee," "free speech," etc.).
Files in the Executive Director Office Series refer to meetings, annual ACLU national conferences, litigation and political action strategizing, fundraising, and membership, and contain many individual legislative and court case files maintained by the Executive Director's Office (who at times in the ACLU of NC's history also served as the Legal Director). Extensive research and "issues" files, as they were often called, found both in the Legal Program and Executive Office Series, were most often used to support the case and investigative work, and therefore cover topics similar to the case files. Other subject files reflect the Executive Director's efforts to learn about issues relating to other affiliates of the ACLU.
Smaller but significant components of the collection include the Audiovisual Material Series, housing videocassettes and audio recordings, and the Print Material Series, which houses publications, clippings, reports, and other print material created by the ACLU of NC as well as material from other organizations. It includes many issues of ACLU of NC's newsletter, Liberty, as well as multiple issues from Prison Law Monitor, Veteran's Advocate, and Youth Law News. Other publications are filed by topic. Many press releases, clippings, and files related to media relations are found in the Executive Director Office Series, and to a lesser extent in the Legal Program Series.
Researchers interested in the earliest history of the ACLU of NC should consult the small Historical Files Series which contains a 1970 history of the organization written by Daniel Pollitt and George Scheer, as well as copies of the original founding documents of incorporation, board and legal foundation meeting minutes from the 1960s to the 1980s, and other files. More complete files of early correspondence, meetings, and legal cases dating from the 1960s and 1970s can be found in other series.
Later additions to the collection include various physical and electronic materials. The Accession 2013-0209 includes files related to the organizational activities of the chapter, particularly during Frank Goldsmith's tenure; project files such as those related to developing Taser policies in North Carolina; subject files; correspondence; and other assorted materials. The Web Content Series includes digital materials for ACLU of NC's website, its Punishment Project, and several social media pages. Accession 2025-0020 includes additional organizational materials created during Goldsmith's tenure as well as those created from 2000s onwards, various print materials created by the ACLU of NC, select civil rights organizations, state chapters, and the national organization such as annual reports, handouts, reports, later issues of Liberty; and a small selection of audiovisual materials with mostly educational videos.
- Biographical / historical:
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Since its inception in 1965, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU of NC or ACLU-NC) has investigated and prosecuted cases relating to civil liberties issues, especially free speech, prisoners' rights, religious freedoms, and reproductive freedom. The organization was founded in 1965 by two High Point, North Carolina area lawyers named James Mattocks and Charles Lambeth, as the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union (NCCLU), in response to the 1963 institution of the Speaker Ban Law by the NC State Legislature. The statute was repealed in winter of 1965. In 1969, the North Carolina Legal Foundation (NCLF) was formed to carry out the legal activities of the ACLU of NC By 1970, there were local offices in Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, and Raleigh, with Durham, Chapel Hill, and Asheville soon to follow. The NCCLU officially changed its name to the ACLU of NC in the 1970s, in response to a National office request. Originally its operations were based in Greensboro but moved in 1987 to its current location in Raleigh.
The ACLU-NC and its Legal Foundation are governed by all-volunteer Boards of Directors who come from many different parts of the state and work in a variety of professions. Most Board members are elected by the general membership to serve three-year terms and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The Board sets the agenda for the organization and is charged with governance, oversight and securing the resources necessary for the organization to carry out its mission. The ACLU-NC and its legal arm maintain six permanent staff positions: Executive Director, Legal Director, Legislative Director, Racial Justice Fellow, Paralegal, and Office Manager. The staff also is supported by many interns, law clerks, and volunteers.
Chronology List (dates are approximate in some cases) Date Event 1960s Jim Shields acted as ACLU liaison to North Carolina1965 Founding of the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union, later renamed ACLU of NC1960s-1970 Norman Smith, Executive Director1970-1989/1990 George Gardner, Executive Director1989/1990-1994 Jim Shields, Executive Director1994-2002 Deborah Ross, Executive Director and Legal DirectorJan. 2003-Nov. 2003 Patricia Camp, Executive DirectorNov. 2003-May 2004 Renee Hill, Interim Executive DirectorMay 2004- Jennifer Rudinger, Executive Director - Acquisition information:
- The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift from 1982-2018.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Tanner Capps, Ted Holt, Paula Jeannet, Kevin Modestino, Chloe Rockow, Jen Snow, and Katy Terrell, August 2010; Patrick Stawski, January 2014; Tere Elizalde, July 2025
Accessions described in this finding aid: 7-21-82 to 2009-0164, 2013-0209, 2025-0020
Encoded by Tanner Capps, Ted Holt, Paula Jeannet, Kevin Modestino, Chloe Rockow, Jen Snow, and Katy Terrell, November 2010
Web content described by Michelle Runyon, May 2020.
Accessions 7-21-82 to 2009-0164 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Accession 2013-0209 processed and described by Patrick Stawski, January 2014.
Accession 2025-0020 processed and described by Tere Elizalde, July 2025.
- Arrangement:
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The collection is arranged into the following series: ACLU of NC Historical Files, Executive Director Office, Legal Program, Audiovisual Material, Print Material, Accession 2013-0209, Web Content, and Accession 2025-0020.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Academic freedom
African Americans -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina
Children -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina
Church and state -- North Carolina
Civil rights -- North Carolina -- History
Drug legalization -- North Carolina
Drug testing -- Laws and legislation -- North Carolina
Educational law and legislation -- United States
Elections -- North Carolina
Emigration and immigration law -- North Carolina
Employee rights -- North Carolina
Freedom of religion -- North Carolina
Freedom of speech -- North Carolina
Gay people -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina
Gay rights -- North Carolina
Human Rights -- North Carolina -- History
Juvenile justice, Administration of -- North Carolina
Police misconduct -- North Carolina
Prisoners -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina
Race discrimination -- Law and legislation -- North Carolina
Racial profiling in law enforcement
Racism -- Political aspects -- United States
Reproductive rights -- North Carolina
Searches and seizures -- North Carolina
Teaching, Freedom of -- United States
Voting -- North Carolina
Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina - Format:
- Audiocassettes
Slides (photographs)
electronic records (digital records)
Videocassettes - Names:
- American Civil Liberties Union -- History
American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina -- History
Ku Klux Klan (1915- ) -- North Carolina
United States. Constitution. 1st Amendment
United States. Constitution. 4th Amendment
North Carolina Civil Liberties Union
Human Rights Archive (Duke University) - Places:
- North Carolina -- Politics and government -- 1951-
North Carolina -- Social conditions -- 20th century
North Carolina -- Social conditions -- 21st century
Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions
Access restricted. Originals of video and audiotapes are closed to use. Digital access copies are available for some videos in the Audiovisual Materials series.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.
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- Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1bc7t