I have my ACLU bag (filled with SCOTUS opinions for my 4th of July reading, of course), and the TSA agent sees the bag and asks, "Do you work for them?"

And I say yes.

And he asks, "Are you an attorney?"

And I say yes.

And he says, "Would you believe they came into Lowell and said a man has a right to panhandle?"

And I say, well, he does.

And he says, "Well, I have a right to not be harassed."

And I say you have a right not to be assaulted or actually threatened, but other than that, they have a right to speak, and you have a right to walk away.

This was one of many times I have been proud to work at the ACLU.

Our staff attorney Jessie Rossman wrote this over Independence Day weekend in 2015.