Constitutional Law
ACLU Backs Craig in Restroom Case
Posted Sep 17, 2007, 06:29 pm CST
By Martha Neil
The ACLU has filed a supporting brief in Sen. Larry Craig's effort to revoke his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge in a restroom sex sting.
The conviction violates Craig's right of free speech under the First Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague, the American Civil Liberties Union says says in a friend-of-the court filing today, according to ABC News and the Associated Press.
The foot-tapping and hand gesture Craig allegedly used to show his interest in sex with a male undercover police officer is protected speech, the ACLU contends. Plus, there is no proof, even if these were sex signals, that Craig intended to have sex in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport restroom where the encounter took place, the brief continues.
Meanwhile, the restroom has become a tourist attraction, reports another Associated Press article.
More details about the case are provided in an earlier ABAJournal.com post.