The ACLU became the principal protector of civil liberties in America in 1920 and the New York affiliate, the NYCLU, has been doing the same since 1951. The Nassau Chapter opened shop in 1962, in the middle of the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. 

Our first client was, and is, the Bill of Rights and since day one we have fought to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution.   The chapter boasted about 200 members when we began, and those like-minded individuals wasted no time in getting a charter, creating by-laws and electing a board.  One of our first big cases came in 1967, when the NYS Court of Appeals held that if public schools open their doors to some outside groups, they must open them to all groups and not discriminate on which may have events there.  As a result, Pete Seeger was finally allowed to play at East Meadow’s W. Tresper Clarke High School.

That was only the beginning!  The Nassau Chapter has, over the past 46 years, an extraordinary record of legal accomplishments. Not only have we litigated or settled hundreds of cases affecting Nassau residents, we also have won at least four local institutional reform cases of national significance. As a result of Nassau efforts: schools can no longer impose compulsory school prayer Engel v. Vitale - (US Supreme Ct.); district trustees can't ban books from libraries based on personal prejudices, Pico v. Island Trees School District (US Supreme Ct.); the one person, one vote standard that invalidated the Board of Supervisors resulted in councilmanic districts with representation for persons of color, Jackson v. Nassau County (Federal District Ct.); basing residential assessments on 1938 cost of construction is racially discriminatory and a fairer system is instituted, Coleman v. Nassau Board of Assessors (NYS Supreme Ct.).

Keep in mind, these were only the cases that we litigated in court.  The bulk of our work is done through personal advocacy and persuasion.  Through letter writing, phone calls and lobbying, we have succeeded in defending a student editor denied press freedom, a village employee fired for befriending the mayor’s political foe, a homeowner whose political lawn sign was confiscated by police, a fire fighter suspended for publishing a letter critical of department operations, a gay couple whose son was delayed admittance to a hospital because of discriminatory admissions procedures and 450 black students denied busing though white students were bused in same district.