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et ae cat nner ns acne anh Atte met, ea Slit: A en ot meen ee eet ‘ : ee Rent ' ! ‘ } § t . es 4 : 7 pybe . a San Antor$s Chapver, | Provide Legal Help to Medalyn Murray a A Baltimore woman who has been focus of national controversy in the church-state separation field was aided this fall by che San Antonio Chapter of the Union's Texas afhliate ancy the Maryland ACLU. Mrs. Madalyn Mut a divorced matron who was married again in October to Franklin O'Hair, opposed the Maryland authorities’ request for her ex- - tradition from Texas to answer a Balti-. - more misdemeanor charge arising from a scuffle with police. . In 1963 Mrs. Murray was a central figure in the legal batcle which led to the Supreme Court's banning of compulsory prayers from public schools. Subjected since then to public harassment in Balti- more, Mrs. Murray maintained that if sent back to Baltimore she stood the risk of being “murdered.” ACLU representatives tried co persuade her to forego extradition . proceedings and return voluntarily, buc without success. The Union's attorney in San Antonio, Maury Maverick Jr. was obliged by legal ethics to represent her at the extradition hearing. Her bill of particulars submitted to the Texas magistrate alleged that the Balci- more police at one time broke into her “house without warrant to “forcibly re- move her family” and beat her son and elderly mother, and that she has been sub- ject to “repeated acts of religious persecu- tion.” “This astonishing request for extra- rray,. dition over a simple misdemeanor,” she eee sont * ne | Yrror! copy ntl; fp , d Achy #22> Fave NOT preeatvensy Pa vate Maryland era added, “is actually motivated by religious persecution.” She added that her “plight is worse than that of a Negro being ex- " , tradited to Mississippi.” The Texas court — refused her bid on October 12 and ordered her extradited to Maryland. She vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. Ct The Union’s Maryland Branch, which cooperated with Mr. Maverick, said, “We do not believe Mrs. Murray's life will be ~ in jeopardy here. . . . When she is re- turned to Baltimore, the Maryland ACLU will provide counsel for her, arid her every right will be secured. . . . The question of whether she is or is not guilty of a crime is one to be settled by the courts. Above . all, we must remember she is not on trial - for her opinions. The Bill of Rights of _ the U.S. Constitution guarantees her the right to hold her opinions in peace. The — - ACLU's Maryland Branch takes this stand without reference to the validity or non- validity of Mrs. Murray's opinions. ...”. Mrs. Murray's current focus of attack is a suit she brought—without the Union's assistance — to stop all churches in the country from claiming tax exemptions. Many troubles have descended upon her houschold in recent years, and her presence in San Antonio was due to her having been expelled from Mexico, to where she - had “fled” from Baltimore and Hawaii. Commenting on Mrs. Murray's resolve to fight extradition, the Maryland ACLU's Chairman, the Rev. Irving R. Murray, ob- 7 served “She cannot win that fight, and 2... 04.2 can only anger Maryland authorities with _ her stubbornness. Maury Maverick will re- turn with her to Baltimore when she. comes. [Another Maryland ACLU Board , member] and J, with whatever state off- -.. |. cials are assigned to the case, will meer an her at the plane. She will not be interro- en re gated without the presence of our counsel.” ” As a result of Maryland's court crisis =~" brought on by a Buddhist defendant’s-suc- cessful challenge to the practice of swear- - : ing jurors and witnesses to do their duty -- =. “in the presence of Almighty God,” all old - indictments—including that against Mad- alyn Murray O'Hair—were dropped in late -- * October.