In our first segment this morning, we highlight an upcoming event that we are co-sponsoring along with the Human Rights Committee of the Erie County Bar Association on Wednesday, July 1 at 7pm, in the Damon Mason Auditorium of the downtown library at Lafayette Square.

"Your Rights at the Border"

Join Sophie Feal, Esq. of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Erie County Bar Association; Dan Joyce, Esq., of Jaeckle, Fleischmann and Mugel; Alan Bozer Esq., Partner of Phillips, Lytle LLC; and NYCLU intern and Law Student, Hassan Shibly, a former NYCLU plaintiff in the Tabbaa v. Chertoff Federal lawsuit.

The featured guests and speakers will discuss border inspections and searches, NAFTA and other visa questions, as well as relevant issues affecting admission to the U.S. from Canada since 9/11.

The FREE EVENT is sponsored by the Human Rights Committee of the Erie County Bas Association

For more information, contact the Western Regional Office of the New York Civil Liberties Union at 716.852.4033 or via email at westernregion@nyclu.org

This week, in response to the disaster that has unfolded during the power struggle in the New York State, the New York Civil Liberties Union , one of the largest membership organizations in the state with nearly 50,000 members, called on senators to put aside the fight for power and vote to protect all of New York’s families.

“Marriage shouldn’t be about politics. Being able to get married – and protect your partner and your children – is a matter of human dignity. Our leaders must put aside their differences and momentarily forget the leadership fight and pass the marriage bill today,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU. “Our senators must get on the right side of history and support fairness and equality for all New Yorkers.”

Marriages between lesbian and gay New Yorkers entered into out-of-state are recognized in New York thanks to a 2008 NYCLU legal victory in Martinez v. County of Monroe. Following that victory, Governor Paterson directed all state agencies to revise their policies to recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed in other jurisdictions. Since then, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and Iowa have legalized marriage for lesbian and gay couples. But New Yorkers remain unable to get married at home.

Earlier this month, the NYCLU launched www.MarriageNY.com, a website featuring a dozen New York couples explaining why the right to get married matters to them. Syracuse resident Susan Salomone, the mother of four children adopted through the foster care system, explained that marrying her life partner Jean would help keep her family safe.

For more information how you can get involved and MOTIVATE your elected representatives visit MarriageNY.com

On the National front this week, the American Civil Liberties Union Sued the Department of Homeland Security this week, after the Treasurer of Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty was detained and interrogated for carryng cash at the St. Louis Airport.

According to the ACLU, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is subjecting innocent Americans to unreasonable searches and detentions that violate the Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU filed the complaint on behalf of a traveler who was illegally detained and harassed by TSA agents at the airport for carrying approximately $4,700 in cash.

"Airport searches are the most common encounters between Americans and law enforcement agents. That's why it is so important for TSA agents to do the job they were trained to do and not engage in fishing expeditions that do nothing to promote flight safety," said Ben Wizner, a staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "It is, of course, very important to ensure the safety of flights and keep illegal weapons and explosives off planes. But allowing TSA screeners to conduct general purpose law enforcement searches violates the Constitution while diverting limited resources from TSA's core mission of protecting safety. For the sake of public safety and constitutional values, these unlawful searches should stop."

On March 29, 2009, Steven Bierfeldt was detained in a small room at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and interrogated by TSA officials for nearly half an hour after he passed a metal box containing cash through a security checkpoint X-ray machine. Bierfeldt was carrying the cash in connection with his duties as the Director of Development for the Campaign for Liberty, a political organization that grew out of Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. (More Here from the ACLU)