Samuel Walker - The American Civil Liberties Union

Samuel Walker

First published 1992 by Garland Publishing, Inc.

Published 2021 by Routledge

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Copyright 1992 Samuel Walker

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Walker, Samuel, 1942-

The American Civil Liberties Union : an annotated bibliography / Samuel Walker.

p. cm. (Organizations and interest groups; vol. 3) (Garland reference library of social science; vol. 743)

Includes indexes.

ISBN 0-8153-0047-6 (acid-free paper)

1. American Civil Liberties UnionBibliography. I. Title. II. Series. III. Series: Garland reference library of social science; v. 743.

KF4741.W35 1992

016.34273085dc20

ISBN 13: 978-0-8153-0047-2 (hbk)

The modern era is one of organizations, and as we approach the next century there is little evidence that the importance of institutions in society will diminish. As they have grown in scope and number so has material published by and about them. Yet managers, academicians and their students, and researchers do not have ready access to information about these significant social entities. In an increasingly complex world of organizations, more and more people need such data to assist in defining and solving problems.

The lack of a comprehensive information system has frustrated users, disseminators, and generators of knowledge; the documentation and control of the literature on organizations have been generally neglected. Indeed, major gaps in the development of the literature, the bibliographical structure of the field, have evolved

Garland Publishing, Inc., has inaugurated the present series as an authoritative guide to information sources on the subject. It seeks to consolidate published material on a wide variety of public, private, and non-profit organizations including: (a) federal agencies, Congressional committees, the judicial branch, and international bodies; (b) corporations, interest groups, trade unions, and consulting firms; as well as (c) professional associations, scientific societies, and educational institutions.

Each book will be compiled by one or more specialists in the area. The authorspractitioners and scholarsare selected in open competition from across the country. They design their work to include an introductory essay, a wide variety of bibliographic materials, and, where appropriate, an information resource section. Thus each contribution in the collection provides a systematic basis for managers and researchers to make informed judgments in the course of their work.

Since no single volume can adequately encompass such a broad, interdisciplinary subject, the series is intended as a continuous project that will incorporate new bodies of literature as needed. Its titles represent the initial building blocks in an operating information system for understanding organizations and society. As an open-ended endeavor, it is hoped that not only will the series serve to summarize knowledge in the field but also will contribute to its advancement.

This collection of book-length bibliographies is the product of considerable collaboration on the part of many people. Special appreciation is extended to the individual contributors in the series and to the anonymous reviewers of each of the volumes. Inquiries should be made to the Series Editor.

James S. Bowman

Department of Public Administration

Florida State University

Since its founding after World War I, the American Civil Liberties Union has become an integral part of American society. Committed to upholding key elements of the Constitution, this relatively small group of individuals who are dedicated to the maintenance of the Bill of Rights has weathered criticism from both the right and the left as it has defended unpopular individuals and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Nazis, Jehovahs Witnesses, and Communists.

The history of the ACLU parallels the extension of civil rights and liberties in the United States. Not until the twentieth century were the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights extended to protect citizens from actions by the states. The process by which these rights and liberties were incorporated through the Fourteenth Amendment has been long and piecemeal. Not until U.S. the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren were major advances made to uphold the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly and privacy, the due processes rights of defendants in criminal cases, and equal protection under the law. The ACLU has fought to uphold and extend these rights in the wake of attacks by groups intent on maintaining the status quo.

During his famous visit in 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville observed the propensity of Americans to join organizations concerned with the public interest. Political scientists have since developed a large literature about the role of interest groups in American politics. Most such organizations pursue their public policy objectives through lobbying activities in the legislative and executive branches of the national and state governments. The ACLU, however, is a prime example (another would be the NAACP) of a group that has sought to achieve its goals through the judicial system. By providing direct legal assistance to individuals and organizations, and through extensive use of the amicus brief, the ACLU has been a major force in upholding and advancing civil liberties and rights. The fact that this has been accomplished with the support of only a limited staff, volunteer attorneys, and a relatively small membership is a major achievement. In addition to litigation the ACLU has played an important role in educating the public about the crucial role of civil liberties.

With a total of 1454 entries spanning almost three quarters of a century, this annotated bibliography provides an important research tool for scholars, attorneys, and policy analysts. Samuel Walker has organized the work into six chapters: general works concerning the ACLU, the history of the organization, contemporary and related civil liberties issues, ACLU leaders, and resources to guide scholars.