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The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is the preeminent statewide organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of individual civil liberties and civil rights in New York State. Founded in 1951, the NYCLU's mission is to defend and uphold the basic rights and liberties articulated in the Bill of Rights and to advocate, litigate and educate for the protection of civil liberties. Through litigation, legal counsel, advocacy and legislative lobbying, the NYCLU has, among many issues, protected political freedom during the McCarthy era, argued against the constitutionality of the Vietnam War, created the first project focused on the rights of mentally disabled, and was the first civil liberties organization to advocate for reforming the foster care placement system. Over the last thirty years, the NYCLU has advocated for issues surrounding voting rights and censorship, fought to end gender discrimination and school segregation in New York State schools, and defended the separation of church and state. The collection consists of legal case files, administrative records and other archival materials. The collection is being processed and is currently closed, unless permission to access is granted in writing from the NYCLU Executive Director.

The Frank J. Becker Papers document Becker's service in the U.S Congress, as a representative of Nassau County (N.Y.), where he served from 1953-1964. The collection includes correspondence, subject files, and legislation from his tenure.

The David C. Baldus Papers document the distinguished legal research career of David C. Baldus, which includes the most sophisticated challenges to capital punishment in the United States since the reinstatement of the Death Penalty in 1976. Included is material from the Georgia Charging & Sentencing Study, which was used as evidence in the McCleskey v. Kemp (1987) decision. Similar studies involving capital sentencing in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Military are also detailed, as is Baldus's formal reports to the supreme courts of a number of other states. Also present is material documenting Baldus's long career as the Joseph B. Tye Professor of Law at the University of Iowa Law School. This includes teaching material, presentations, publications, and material documenting faculty service.

The Atlantic States Legal Foundation Records document the environmental not-for-profit organization's pollution reduction and environmental remediation projects and cases throughout the United States and territories.