The American Civil Liberties Union and its state affiliate in South Carolina are battling over access to tapes of a recent national board meeting that could have ramifications for the survival of the state group, reports The New York Times.

On February 23, the 14-member executive committee met to discuss a takeover of the affiliate and procedures for a hearing on the matter. But David F. Kennison, who represents South Carolina on the ACLU’s national board, said he was unable to attend the meeting because of health problems. The ACLU denied his request to receive a tape of the discussion.

The affiliate has struggled with management issues, such as weak fund raising and high staff turnover, and submitted to “voluntary supervision” last year, according to Neil Caesar, president-elect of the South Carolina affiliate’s board. But after the affiliate signed on to a Web site critical of the ACLU’s leadership, the national organization imposed tighter supervision and threatened to take over the smaller branch.

Mr. Caesar says the national office’s decision not to release the tapes runs counter to its mission of protecting rights and due process. “We’re concerned about their decision to do an about-face on a longstanding practice that has always resulted in a free flow of information at a time when our affiliate is fighting for its right to exist and needs information to mount its defense.”

John Kennedy, an ACLU spokesman, wrote in an e-mail message that the national organization was not concerned about material on the tapes but that “our concern has to do with distribution of the audio recordings to outside parties, especially since there could be litigation on this matter.” He added, “The important thing to remember is that the vital work of defending civil liberties has been left largely unattended in South Carolina due to the affiliate’s mismanagement.”

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