United States Second Circuit

Judgment holding that New York City-s program of random, suspicionless subway baggage searches comports with the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and dismissing plaintiffs- complaint with prejudice, is affirmed as the program is designed to safeguard mass transportation facilities from terrorist attack, thus satisfying the special needs exception to the Fourth Amendment-s usual requirement of individualized suspicion and, on balance, is reasonable.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/11/2006
• Published 08/11/2006

Judges

• STRAUB, Circuit Judge., Before NEWMAN and STRAUB, Circuit Judges, and BRIEANT, District Judge.

Court

• United States Second Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Christopher Dunn, New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation (Arthur Eisenberg, Jeffrey Fogel, Corey Stoughton, and Donna Lieberman, on the brief), New York, NY, for Plaintiffs-Appellants., Michael J. Garcia, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, (Peter D. Keisler, Assistant Attorney General;  Douglas N. Letter, Terrorism Litigation Counsel;  Beth E. Goldman, Assistant United States Attorney;  Sara L. Shudofsky, Assistant United States Attorney, on the brief), New York, NY, for Amicus Curiae United States of America., Andrew T. Frankel, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP;  Daniel J. Popeo, Washington Legal Foundation (Paul D. Kamenar;  Bryce L. Friedman;  Seth M. Kruglak on the brief), New York, NY, for Amici Curiae Washington Legal Foundation;  Families of September 11, Inc.;  Allied Educational Foundation;  U.S. Representatives Peter T. King and Ginny Brown-Waite;  New York StateSenator MartinJ. Golden;  New York State AssemblymenVincent M. Ignizio and Matthew Mirones;  New York City CouncilmemberJames S. Oddo;  and Stephen M. Flatow.


• For Appellees:
  
• Scott Shorr, Senior Counsel, Corporation Counsel of the City of New York (Michael A. Cardozo, Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, Barry P. Schwartz, on the brief), New York, NY, for Defendants-Appellees.