The Chippewa Valley Civil Liberties Union (CVCLU) is a chapter group of the American Civil Liberties Union – Wisconsin, an affiliate group of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The CVCLU was founded in the year of 1967 by Tom Barth and Patrick George, two newly hired professors of the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire. The organization focuses on providing educational services that help individuals and organizations in the Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Menomonie, and surrounding areas better understand civil liberties. As an affiliate organization, the CVCLU does not provide legal advice, but will refer individuals to the ACLU for those services. The CVCLU delivers presentations and distributes flyers and brochures to increase the knowledge of civil rights and liberties.

The CVCLU has supported notable cases for the ACLU, including some with a local and regional impact. These cases supported constitutional rights and individual freedom. One recent achievement was a local case regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage, Wolf vs. Walker. This case was presented in 2014 in the U. S. Court of Appeals, the decision affirmed a district court’s decision to invalidating Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban. An appeal to the United States Supreme Court was denied. The Supreme Court later ruled in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case that that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause that are found in Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. An earlier local case, in 1969, involved an underground newspaper (The Roach, found in Archies Series 133: UW-Eau Claire Student Publications). The creator was accused of promoting pornographic material and lewd literature. In this case, the school failed in its defense when the four letter words in question were deemed not obscene. Another notable case in the 1980s involved the separation of church and state where a creche scene was displayed in a public park. The ACLU was in the middle of two similar cases, Chabad v. ACLU and the City of Pittsburgh v. ACLU that involved religious scenes on display on government and public properties. It was ruled that these displays were in violation of the Establishment Clause. These cases represent some of the local issues that the CVCLU has supported.

Significant people of the CVCLU are the volunteers, local lawyers, and advocates for the CVCLU. Many of the members provide support for the group while the rest provide specific services such as legal advisor to the organization, treasurer, event management, etc. The volunteers and advocates work to educate the public and operate fundraisers to support the organization.