Minnesota ACLU head Samuelson resigns amid health concerns

Chuck Samuelson
Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Minnesota, announced Thursday he is retiring.
Tom Crann | MPR News

The longtime head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is stepping down.

Chuck Samuelson has been the agency's executive director since 1996. But he's fighting a neurological disease for the past four years.

"It has become progressively difficult for me to move, it has been progressively difficult for me to type. My muscles are atrophying," he said in an interview Thursday with MPR News host Tom Crann. "I'm just getting too tired to do the job anymore."

Samuelson's retirement is effective at the end of February.

In his interview with Crann, he spoke about his tenure and the work of the ACLU.

Click on the audio player above to hear their conversation.

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