Maine Civil Liberties Union changes name

PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Civil Liberties Union has changed its name 43 years after it was founded.

The organization announced Friday that it is now called the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, or ACLU of Maine.

Executive Director Shenna Bellows said the name change reflects the group’s work on national issues and affiliation with the ACLU. She said 50 other civil liberties groups now identify themselves as part of the ACLU in their names in a nationwide effort to establish unified branding.

The MCLU was founded in 1968 as a chartered affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.