Assessing the Political Landscape for Civil Liberties

The Nassau Chapter held its Annual Winter Meeting on March 3, 2011 at Hofstra Law School. The program, titled "Civil Liberties After the Fall: A discussion about the state of civil liberties and the landscape of state and federal politics after the midterm elections," featured NYCLU Legislative Director Robert Perry and Hofstra University Political Science Professor Rebecca Curry. Nassau County Chapter President Roy Klein moderated.

Nassau Chapter President Roy Klein, NYCLU Legislative Director Robert Perry, Chapter Director Samantha Fredrickson, NYCLU Board President Jonathan Horn and Hofstra Professor Rebecca Curry.

Perry spoke about the politics of Albany and gave an update of NYCLU's legislative priorities for the coming year.

He also highlighted NYCLU's many successes in Albany last year, including the passage of the Dignity for All Students Act and the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights - laws that the NYCLU and many of our allies spent years pushing towards passage.

Curry, whose background is in both law and political science, spoke about the national landscape of politics. While New York State saw many bills pass that advanced civil liberties last year, Congress and the Senate were not so productive.

The rise of the Tea Party and the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives won't have much of an effect on civil liberties, she said, because there wasn't much advancement of civil liberties in the past year. She urged advocates to continue fighting for voting rights and to protect the election process.