ACLU goes to bat for senator in sex case

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a court motion suggesting the sex-related arrest of conservative Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was unconstitutional.

In a friend-of-the-court motion filed with the Minnesota 4th District Court, the ACLU said Craig's arrest in June at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for soliciting sex was covered by First Amendment rights, CNN reported.

An undercover police officer said Craig made gestures and movements in a washroom allegedly common to men seeking sex. On Aug. 8, Craig denied he is gay or was seeking sex but pleaded guilty to one charge of disorderly conduct. He later said he would resign Sept. 30 from the U.S. Senate.

But on Sept. 10 Craig filed court papers to withdraw his guilty plea, which the ACLU is supporting.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said while Craig has a track record of voting against same-sex marriages, he deserved equal protection from arrest.

"Senator Craig has not always been a great friend of civil liberties but you shouldn't have to endorse the civil liberties of others to keep your own," Romero told CNN.