Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute. Skip to Main Content Skip to Navigation Skip to Search
Site Map

Overview

Founded in 1965, MCLI has become part of the infrastructure of the peace and justice community, empowering people to protect and expand their rights under law. Meiklejohn is a center for peace law, an organizer for the right to education, an information clearinghouse on social change, an advocate of government accountability, a training center, and repository of history. It has been called a "Civil Liberties Church" and a think tank combining archives and ongoing research.

In 1995, the Institute's Human Rights Reporting Project began using new U.S. treaties as new tools to work for human rights, full employment, economic conversion, and saving the environment. Since 1984, the Institute's Peace Law and Education Project has been using peace law and history to work on these issues.

The Institute joins networks and provides speakers.

The Institute publishes and distributes the Human Rights Organizations and Periodicals Directory, Peace Law Packets and the "Human Rights Now!" quarterly newsletter.

The Institute's highly regarded Studies in Law and Social Change include Alexander Meiklejohn: Teacher of Freedom, The Cold War Against Labor, and The Ford Hunger March.

The Institute works with the India Legal Centre for Human Rights and the Law on common issues of concern.

The Institute's survival depends on the support of those who share its goals and values.

Mission Statement

Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute uses Human Rights and Constitutional Law to promote within the United States fundamental human rights including the right to jobs, food, and housing.

The goals are:

  1. To help individuals use human rights and peace law to enforce their civil rights and their right to peace, education, jobs, justice, and a healthly environment.
  2. To lecture, hold forums, and publish materials on United States and international human rights and humanitarian law, emphasizing the connection between civil and political rights and economic, social, and cultural rights.
  3. To remain especially alert to human rights and to maintaining the physical and mental integrity of the most disadvantaged in the United States, including children tried and sentenced as adults, those who face the death penalty, and those facing distinctions based on race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, and physical and mental disability.
  4. To offer internships that provide practical and multifaceted learning experience to college and law students and opportunties for volunteers to do meaningful work to assist activists, writers, and scholars.
  5. To develop innovative ways of using human rights law in new venues from city commissions to U.N. committees.
  6. To collect, index, archive, and make accessible the United States history of human rights and peace law that is not reported by traditional law services.

History

Board Members

Organizations and/or affiliations are for identification only and do not imply support by the organization

  • Linus Pauling (1901-1994)
  • Frank Newman (1918-1996)
  • Steve Bingham, President, Legal Service Attorney
  • Rev. Daniel A. Buford, Vice President, Community Activist
  • Walter Riley, Treasurer, Human Rights Attorney
  • Victoria Sawicki, Secretary Pro Tem , Union & Environmental Activis
  • Jim Syfers, Editor, Prof. Emeritus, SFSU
  • Barbara Blong, Peace/Human Rights Activist
  • Russell Bloom, National Lawyers Guild Rep.
  • Seth Chazin, Trial Lawyer
  • Abbot Foote, Community Steward
  • Jan Goodman, S. California Attorney
  • Hon. Claudia Morcom, Retired Detroit Judge
  • Wilson Riles, Jr., Community Organizer
  • Susan Scott, Solidarity Lawyer
  • Lindsley Smith, Arkansas Legislator
  • Howard Watkins, Fresno Family Law Attorney
  • Joseph Woodard, Multimedia Production

Executive Director

  • Ann Fagan Ginger

Advisory Committee

  • Zipporah Collins, Editor
  • Emma Dawley, Black Women Stirring the Waters
  • Aileen C. Hernandez, Urban Consultant
  • Nancy Hormachea, Immigration Attorney
  • Wes McGee, Minneapolis Black Trade Unionist
  • Colleen Rohan, Intlernational Criminal Court Attorney
  • Bill Quigley, Legal Director, Center for Constitutional Rights
  • Marc Van Der Hout, Immigration Lawyer

MCLI has been a non-profit corporation since 1965 and depends on the financial contributions and volunteer time of people who support its mission and work. Please join us!

Get on our new mailing list. Sign up to receive news from MCLI.