The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah celebrated 51 years of advocacy in the state Saturday evening with a gala event featuring award presentations and a keynote address by MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow.

The group, described by executive director Karen McCreary as the "state's pre-eminent voice in defense of religious liberty, privacy and freedom of expression," feted youth activists from around the state, as well as Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank, who was recognized for his strong stand on the role of municipal police in immigration enforcement.

Utah Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake, presented an award to Burbank and lauded the chief for his choice not to participate in a federal cross-deputization program to train Salt lake cops for immigration-related duties — a voluntary element of 2008's immigration omnibus bill, SB81, set to take effect in July.

"His resolute stance against Draconian immigration law, not just SB81 but past attempts to restrict driving privileges as well as other civil liberties affronts exists as part and parcel of his oath," Chavez-Houck said. "Quote, 'To preserve life, maintain human rights, protect property and promote individual responsibility and community commitment.' "

Burbank said the recognition was among the most meaningful he'd received and noted the significance of protecting the rights of individuals in the job he is tasked with.

"As you evaluate what is the most important thing a law enforcement official can do, it is to provide equal access to every member of our community, so that no one goes without the protection they deserve," Burbank said.

Protection was one issue very much on the mind of Maddow, specifically the protection of rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The host of MSNBC-TV's "The Rachel Maddow Show" was the first openly gay American recipient of a Rhodes scholarship, has a doctorate in political science from Oxford, and worked with the ACLU's National Prison Project before entering the news business in 2004 with Air America Radio. Maddow poked fun at Utah's reputation for quirkiness and told the crowd of nearly 1,000 that she studied up on alcohol regulations on the state's Web site before coming to Salt Lake.

"From the perspective of the rest of the country, Utah is odd," Maddow said. "Well, I happen to like odd."

She then riffed that note into a defense of the federal document that protects the right to be different.