By Jon Gray
On October 16th the McConnell Center’s Forum on Constitutional Governance and the U of L Department of Political Science will present Laura Murphy, the Director of the Washington Office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), at 1 p.m. in the Ekstrom Library Auditorium.
This talk is in conjunction with Doris “Granny D” Haddock’s speech on the benefits of campaign finance reform at 9:30 AM of the same day. Murphy will be delivering the opposing opinion, along with concerns of the possibility of civil liberty infringements in the fight against terrorism.
Murphy is the ACLU’s top lobbyist on Capitol Hill, and manages a team of lobbyists on issues such as First Amendment rights, reproductive freedom and criminal justice among others. She is the first woman and first African-American to hold her position and has received numerous awards for her work, including an award from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Ebony Magazine.
Dr. Gary Gregg, Director of the McConnell Center, says of Murphy, “We’re very privileged to have her. She’s one of the most articulate spokesmen in the nation for the ACLU.”
According to Dr. Gregg, Murphy is one of the best representatives of the ACLU’s general position. Before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration she stated that: “The McCain-Feingold bill contains misguided and unconstitutional restrictions on issue group speech and only works to further empower the media to influence the outcome of elections.”
October 16th will be a day to express varied views and opinions for those here on campus. Amanda Crook, a freshman anthropology major, said: “I had heard of the ACLU and never imagined the McConnell Center could pull somebody from it onto campus. I personally agree with Granny D, but it’s good they’re bringing in somebody who disagrees.” Another student, Philip Smith, a sophomore English major, said: “I really agree with Senator McConnell, I think that [campaign] finance reform will hurt the First Amendment.”
Murphy will also be addressing issues pertaining to our civil liberties during these times of terror and tragedy. On the ACLU’s official website, www.aclu.org, she stated: “The new Senate legislation goes far beyond any powers conceivably necessary to fight terrorism in the United States…The long-term impact on basic freedoms in this legislation cannot be justified.” Admission to th
