Beth Haroules joined the New York Civil Liberties Union as a staff attorney in 1994. At the NYCLU, she is responsible for developing and executing complex litigation with respect to constitutional and civil liberties issues.
Matters handled have included disability rights – the Willowbrook class action litigation and the Hirschfeld v. HHC/Kings County conditions litigation – and mental health law, including "Kendra's Law," involuntary admission and retention of the mentally ill in psychiatric wards in NYC public hospitals, and the involuntary administration of psychotropic medication; ethical issues relating to persons diagnosed with persistent vegetative states and organ donation/organ harvesting, including substituted decisionmaking for incapacitated individuals; medical aid in dying in New York State; First Amendment issues, including NYPD’s unlawful surveillance of NYC’s Muslim community in the wake of September 11, 2001, religious discrimination in the workplace of The Salvation Army Social Services for Children program, the right of dissident groups to engage in anonymous political speech, NYC's zoning resolution with respect to establishments offering adult entertainment, local zoning ordinances restricting political speech; Internet censorship and informational privacy issues; medical and genetic privacy issues; student and consumer privacy issues and challenges to the “rogue” DNA database maintained by the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Prior to joining the NYCLU, she practiced in the areas of commercial litigation and arbitration at White & Case, LLP. Ms. Haroules is a 1980 graduate of Harvard University; she obtained her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1986.
