The First 100 Years of the ACLU 3-Volume Set edited by Steven C. Markoff

An extraordinary publishing milestone arrives September 16, 2025 with the release of a three-volume set chronicling the American Civil Liberties Union’s full history before the United States Supreme Court. The First 100 Years of the ACLU: A Compendium of Advocacy Before the United States Supreme Court is widely regarded as the most complete and objective collection of the Court’s decisions in ACLU cases ever assembled.

Only 500 First Edition sets, handsomely bound in deluxe 8½" x 11" format.

Spanning the Union’s first century, from Gitlow v. New York (1925) to Dep’t of Commerce v. New York (2019), the volumes feature 1½-page summaries of all 1,193 ACLU cases argued before the Court.

Conceived and compiled by Steven C. Markoff—who began the project in 1980—this compendium includes:

—A Foreword by Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law;

—A 1982 one-page draft by Ira Glasser (ACLU National Executive Director, 1978–2001) explaining the ACLU’s mission;

—Detailed data on each Justice’s voting record in ACLU cases;

—The ACLU’s decade-by-decade win/loss “batting average” at the Court;

—Context for some of the most consequential civil rights decisions in U.S. history.

The extensive research and case summaries offer fresh insight into both the priorities of the ACLU and the judicial philosophies of the Supreme Court Justices who served during these 100 years.

Originally intended to end with the year 2000, the project was extended to 2020 after Chemerinsky persuaded—“guilted,” as Markoff jokes—him to capture the most recent two decades, resulting in the most thorough historical record of the ACLU’s Supreme Court advocacy to date.

Described by early readers as “magnificent” in scope, detail, and presentation, this landmark three-volume set is an essential resource for anyone interested in the ACLU, constitutional law, the Supreme Court, or the ongoing story of American civil liberties.

From the Foreword by Erwin Chemerinsky

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is unique among organizations. It exists solely to protect civil liberties and civil rights. It has done this brilliantly for a century. It has done so at the national level and the state and local levels. It has done so in the legislative and political processes and in the courts. Not surprisingly, many of these judicial battles have ended in the U.S. Supreme Court and led to crucial decisions that affect all of us, often in the most important and intimate aspects of our lives.

Surprisingly, though, no one has systematically chronicled the ACLU’s history in the U.S. Supreme Court. That is the contribution of Steven Markoff and his history of the ACLU, the U.S. Constitution, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His focus is on the ACLU’s involvement in the U.S. Supreme Court in the past century, from 1920 to 2020…

But whether one agrees or disagrees with the ACLU in particular areas, there is no denying the importance of the ACLU as a force in the U.S. Supreme Court and in American law. Thanks to Steven Markoff’s efforts, there now is a comprehensive listing of all of the U.S. Supreme Court cases in the last century with ACLU involvement. He provides clear and concise descriptions of the cases.

About the Author

Steven C. Markoff is a native of Los Angeles, California, and a graduate of Los Angeles City College in 1964 with an Associate Arts degree. Markoff is a successful entrepreneur. He has had an interest in business since he was six and in business law since his teens.

Erwin Chemerinsky is the Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law and Dean of the Berkeley Law School, University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of 15 books, including Free Speech on Campus and Closing the Courthouse Door: How Your Constitutional Rights Became Unenforceable.