FBI Director Mueller to Speak at ACLU's First-Ever Membership Conference, June 11-15

ACLU to Honor Muhammad Ali, Anthony Lewis for Civil Liberties Contributions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK – Nearly 1,000 “”card-carrying”” members of the American Civil Liberties Union will converge on the nation’s capital from June 11-15 for the organization’s first-ever membership conference, to meet with and hear from some of the nation’s top political leaders and policy makers — both those who support ACLU goals and those who oppose them.

Confirmed speakers include FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, who will deliver a speech on the afternoon of Friday, June 13 and take questions from ACLU members, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who will speak at a 4:30 p.m. reception on Thursday, June 12.

The conference opens on Wednesday, June 11 at noon and runs through Saturday night at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, located at 2500 Calvert Street NW (at Connecticut Avenue). At least 30 percent of conference attendees are between the ages of 16 and 27, the ACLU said.

For a conference agenda and complete list of confirmed speakers to date, go to www.aclu.org. For information on media registration for the conference, go to /feedback/feedback.cfm?r=38&ia=1&ip=1&ii=0

During the intensive four-day conference, ACLU members will attend workshops on the ACLU’s agenda with Washington legislative and legal staffs; lobby members of Congress to support ACLU efforts; and question top federal officials and other Washington insiders about where they stand.

Awards will be presented to Muhammad Ali and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony Lewis for their contributions to the struggle for civil liberties and civil rights. Other confirmed speakers or performers include actor Dennis Haysbert of the hit television show 24, comedian David Chappelle, ABC News correspondent Michel Martin, and members of the Broadway hit Def Poetry Jam.

*Note: All journalists covering the conference must present credentials at the ACLU press office – see registration link above. Those who plan to cover FBI Director Mueller’s speech on Friday, June 13 at 3:30 p.m. must arrive one hour in advance for FBI credentials check.