National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee facts for kids

The National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee (NECLC) was a group started in the United States in October 1951. It was first called the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee until 1968. About 150 teachers and religious leaders formed it. Their main goal was to protect the important freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. These freedoms include the right to speak freely, practice any religion, travel, and gather peacefully.

Why the NECLC Was Formed

The NECLC was created by people who cared deeply about civil rights. They disagreed with another group, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU chose not to directly help people accused of breaking the McCarran Act of 1950. This act targeted people accused of trying to overthrow the U.S. government.

Corliss Lamont, one of the founders, later said that other groups were not strong enough in defending civil liberties. The ACLU only offered legal advice from the sidelines, called amicus curiae briefs. But the NECLC directly helped those who were accused. In the 1960s, Henry di Suvero, the NECLC's director, explained their difference. He said the ACLU only took cases where civil liberties were clearly violated. The NECLC, however, took on cases that were not so clear. Di Suvero had left the ACLU because he wanted to be more involved in helping people.

Some people suspected the NECLC was linked to Communists because they defended certain individuals. But di Suvero said the NECLC learned to help all kinds of people. They looked for cases involving students, prisoners, and people who were poor. Accusations of being linked to Communists continued for many years. In 1971, a politician called Corliss Lamont a "Communist Party member." Lamont replied that he had never joined the Communist Party. He stated that the NECLC was neutral and defended the freedoms of all Americans. This was true no matter what their political beliefs were.

Clark Foreman, who used to work for government programs, led the NECLC from 1951 to 1968.

The McCarthy Era and Freedoms

In 1953, another group called the American Committee for Cultural Freedom accused the NECLC. They sent messages saying the NECLC was a "Communist front" and did not truly care about freedom. Because of this, two people who supported an NECLC event pulled out. One of them was a religious scholar named Paul Tillich. He said he could not find out if the accusations were true. The NECLC responded by saying they were against communism and other strict movements. They stated they believed in civil liberties as a strong defense for American democracy.

Clark Foreman also faced questions from the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1956. He was asked about Paul Robeson, a singer and activist. Foreman defended Robeson, who was denied a passport because he was accused of being a communist. Foreman admitted knowing Alger Hiss, another person accused of being a communist.

The NECLC's first important legal victory was in the case Kent v. Dulles (1958). In this case, the Supreme Court decided that the government could not stop people from traveling without a fair legal process.

Protecting Rights After McCarthy

After the McCarthy era, the NECLC won several important civil rights cases. In 1965, they won a case that said a part of the McCarran Act was unconstitutional. This part required members of the Communist Party to register with the U.S. government. The NECLC argued this violated the Fifth Amendment, which protects against self-incrimination. Also in 1965, they won a case for Corliss Lamont. He had challenged a law that made people ask the Post Office for Communist publications from other countries.

In 1968, the NECLC supported an 11-year-old student. This student wanted to circulate a petition to remove his school principal. The NECLC wanted to find out the "constitutional rights of young people in public schools." They also spoke out against schools trying to stop girls from wearing pants.

NECLC's New Start

In 1968, the NECLC changed how it was organized. It became a group where members had control over its policies. They hoped to attract members from the ACLU who wanted a more active approach. This included cases about the military draft and protests against war.

Around the same time, the NECLC started a project to challenge the all-white jury system in some Southern states.

In 1976, the NECLC represented James Peck. He was a young Freedom Rider who was badly beaten by the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1961. Peck sued the FBI, saying they knew about the planned attack but did not stop it. The legal fight over getting government documents lasted for years. Peck finally won $25,000 in 1983.

In the 1980s, the NECLC successfully represented a child welfare worker in Pennsylvania. This worker had revealed illegal actions by his employers in the case Prochaska v. Pediaczko (1981). In 1983, the U.S. Department of State denied a visa to Hortensia Allende. She was the widow of the assassinated Chilean president Salvador Allende. The NECLC won cases in U.S. District Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals in 1988. These courts ruled that the government's action broke the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.

In June 1990, the NECLC sued the Department of the Treasury. The Treasury was still banning art from Cuba. This was despite a law from 1988 that allowed "informational materials" to be imported. The NECLC argued that art should be included. The Treasury changed its rules in response to the lawsuit in April 1991.

In 1998, the NECLC joined with the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Awards and Recognition

On December 13, 1963, the NECLC gave Bob Dylan its Tom Paine Award. This award recognized his efforts in civil rights. The ceremony took place at the Hotel Americana in New York City.