1. The ACLU  was founded in 1920.
   
   
2. In 1923, its first permanent affiliate was created in Southern California with the help of writer Upton Sinclair.
   
   
3. Gitlow v. New York (1925) was the first case the ACLU brought before the US Supreme Court.
   
   
4. In 1934 the ACLU defended the Nazi Party's right of free speech.
   
   
5. In 1978, the ACLU lost 25% of its members and racked up $500,000 in debt due to disapproval over its decision to represent a neo-Nazi group in the Skokie case.
   
   
6. In 1997, the ACLU of Florida opposed the National Office of the ACLU in the Supreme Court regarding the First Amendment rights of anti-abortion protesters.
   
   
7. In 2001, nine former ACLU leaders opposed the National Office of the ACLU over the McCain-Fieingold Bill, which revised the limits on political campaign contributions and expenditures.
   
   
8. The ACLU handles nearly 6,000 cases per year, and it appears before the Supreme Court more often than any other organization except the US Department of Justice.
   
   
9. Since its creation in 1920 through Dec. 31, 1999 the ACLU has been involved in 735 cases in the US Supreme Court. During those 79 years, the Supreme Court sided with the ACLU 56% of the time.
   
   
10. According to a 2006 Harris Poll, 70% of Democratic respondents said they trust the ACLU compared to 21% of Republican respondents.
    

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Last updated on: 6/25/2009 3:56 PM PST