1970s

In 1972, the ACLU-NC authored and helped to pass a Privacy Amendment to the California Constitution.  This innovative measure established the explicit right of privacy. It also became the legal underpinning of a wide range of litigation. The ACLU-NC worked to protect individual financial records and membership lists of political parties. It achieved landmark victories protecting a woman's right to choose.

During this era, the organization established the Police Practices Project to monitor, expose and challenge police abuse.  The Project has tackled everything from political spying on demonstrators to police round-ups of homeless people.

In support of the burgeoning women's movement, the affiliate took cases on hiring, employment conditions, benefits and residency requirements to ensure equal rights for women.

The organization also fought for the rights of those confined in prisons, laying the groundwork for religious freedom, decent medical care and safety and the right to read inmate-edited newspapers. The ACLU-NC also advocated for people in psychiatric hospitals, waging a major campaign against the forced drugging of mental patients.

The ACLU-NC participated in the lawsuit that ended the death penalty in California, a major victory that was to reverberate nationally and last a quarter century.