The long-time head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois is being remembered as an ardent defender of freedom of speech. Jay Miller passed away Tuesday in Evanston due to complications from emphysema.  

Before spending four decades with the ACLU, Miller served in the Army and worked as a reporter.

Colleen Connell succeeded Miller as the executive director of the Illinois ACLU. She said his legacy on human rights is profound on both a local and national level.

Miller landed on President Richard Nixon’s enemies list in part for defending protestors arrested during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago.

“Jay was a lion in every meaning of the word. He was among the most courageous human beings in defending other people and defending constitutional principles,” Connell said.

Services are planned for Friday at Chicago Jewish Funerals in Skokie. Miller was 83.