Louis Scolnik

SEE BELOW for audio: Caroline Fredrickson's speech

The Maine Civil Liberties Union turns 40 this year.

Members and supporters of the MCLU held a dinner Thursday evening, celebrating how far the organization has come.

Louis Scolnik, a former Maine Supreme Court justice, helped found the MCLU in 1968. The first year the organization had a budget of $268.

“The MCLU has not only been able to survive but evolve into the effective, well-respected organization it is today,” Scolnik said.

But things have only gotten tougher in the world of litigation in favor of civil liberties. When they started, they tackled issues as simple as defending boys’ rights to have long hair in school.

Now some of their most recent battles include fights against warrantless wiretapping and Real ID.