Civil (Rights) Warrior

Former ACLU president keeps fighting for civil liberties

March 31, 2009

In 2001, Nadine Strossen, ACLU president, and Harry Pohlman, chair of the political science department, debated civil liberties on the heels of 9/11. She returns April 2 to continue the conversation.

The Constitution Address at Dickinson in October of 2001—two weeks after September 11—holds special significance for Nadine Strossen, professor of law at New York Law School and the first woman president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Crews were still combing through rubble, the country was on the cusp of war with Afghanistan and the president was pushing Congress to pass the USA PATRIOT Act.

"There was this real sense of terror," Strossen says. "People were so frightened and so desperate to trust our government to protect us from another attack. They were so eager to give up their rights—and more eager to give up other people's rights."

The annual address at Dickinson was Strossen's first public forum after 9/11. Although she had been talking with the news media nonstop, this was her first chance to discuss with an audience the threat to civil liberties that the attacks—and the government's response—posed to democracy.

She remembers just how unpopular the ACLU was during those perilous times, noting that former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, was questioning the patriotism of anyone advocating for civil liberties in a time of war.

The national mood has since shifted, and the public's attention is now focused on the economic crisis. George W. Bush has left office, and a new administration promises more transparency—not only in the business of government but also in the war on terrorism.

"The [campaign] rhetoric was outstanding, but the reality has been quite disappointing on the post-9/11 issues," Strossen says.

So the fight continues for Strossen, who will return to Dickinson to discuss current threats to civil liberties on Thursday, April 2, at 7 p.m. in the Great Room of the Stern Center. The event is part of the Morgan Lectureship.

This visit to campus will be her fourth. Harry Pohlman, executive director of The Clarke Forum and A. Lee Fritschler Professor of Public Policy, originally invited her to speak on affirmative action nearly 20 years ago.

During her 18-year tenure as president of the ACLU, Strossen spoke at more than 500 colleges and universities on issues as wide-ranging as campus speech codes, Internet privacy, biomedical technology and human-rights abuses. She has written two books and more than 300 articles on constitutional law. The National Law Journal has twice named her among "The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America."

"We've had some good conversations," Pohlman says. "Civil liberties is a perennial issue, and it's important for people like Strossen to speak up."

Strossen stepped down as ACLU president in October but remains active with the organization. In addition to teaching constitutional law, international human rights and freedom of speech, she serves on several boards and committees and continues to advocate for civil liberties and human rights.

The Morgan Lectureship, endowed by the board of trustees in 1992 and named in honor of James Henry Morgan (class of 1878), brings a scholar-in-residence to Dickinson to lecture on topics in the social sciences and humanities and meet informally with class groups.

The lecture also is sponsored by the Career Center, The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues, the Department of Political Science and the Women's Center.