Series III. Legal, 1938-2014, bulk 1974-2007

Extent:
188 box(es) (185 linear feet, 133 audiovisual items, and 16.75 gigabytes)
Scope and content:

Series III. Legal includes correspondence, depositions, official court documents, and research related to cases that the ACLU litigated or supported, as well as files on cases that they considered but did not accept. The most common issues they litigated include children's rights, criminal justice, freedom of speech and assembly, LGBT rights, racial discrimination, and religion.

Children's rights cases focus on censorship, searches, or weapons policies. Criminal justice cases focus on prison conditions or police conduct. Freedom of speech and assembly cases focus on censorship, dress codes, limitations on protests, or limitations on signs. LGBT rights cases focus on child custody, marriage, or other areas of discrimination. Racial discrimination cases focus on racial profiling, requiring that only the English language be used, or school desegregation. Religion cases focus on prayer at public meetings and at schools, the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, or other separation of church and state issues.

Other common subjects include disability rights, laws that target the homeless, open government, privacy, and reproductive freedom, including access to abortion. The digital files include a number of videos documenting the use of force by police.

For additional information about the cases which are best documented in this series, see the American Civil Liberties Union of Georiga - Guide to Selected Case Files.

Contents

Access and use restrictions

Restrictions:

Work product privileged, attorney-client privileged, and other confidential documents are closed for a period of time. See the ACLU Access Agreement for further information.

Boxes with an "R" before the box number include restricted materials and there is an access note with each restricted folder indicating when it will be open. Researchers may still request these boxes to access the open folders within these boxes.

Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Some boxes must be reviewed for sensitive information prior to research use. These boxes are identified with an R before the box number and there is an access note with each restricted folder indicating that it requires review. Please request these boxes 3 business days prior to your research visit to allow time for this review.

This series contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.

Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Parent restrictions:

This collection is open for research use with the following exceptions. See the ACLU Access Agreement for further information about each restriction. Researchers must sign an agreement agreeing to abide by these restrictions in order to obtain access to the records. Boxes with an "R" before the box number include restricted materials and there is an access note with each restricted folder indicating when it will be open. Researchers may still request these boxes to access the open folders within these boxes.

Administrative records: Records maintained by the ACLU of Georgia administrators.

Personnel records: Files related to employment of individuals by the ACLU of Georgia.

Development records: Files with the names of individual donors, even if they do not include the amount donated.

Legal records - Work product privileged: Records created by a lawyer while working on the case, including research and developing argument strategies.

Legal Records - Attorney-client privileged: Records that contain information exchanged between an attorney and client in confidence, including correspondence between the client and the attorney's staff or by the attorney on behalf of the client.

Legal Records - Other: Records sealed by the court or that would violate the privacy of an individual.

All series contain audiovisual records. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Series III. Legal includes some boxes that must be reviewed for sensitive information prior to research use. These boxes are identified with an R before the box number and there is an access note with each restricted folder indicating that it requires review. Please request these boxes 3 business days prior to your research visit to allow time for this review.

Series III. Legal contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.

Parent terms of access:
Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.