Editor’s note: On Oct. 30, 2006, U.S. District Judge Wiley Y. Daniel refused to dismiss Leslie Weise and Alex Young’s lawsuit, rejecting motions by defendants Michael Casper and Jay Bob Klinkerman. Meanwhile, Karen Bauer, who also was ejected from the Bush event, did not join Weise and Young’s lawsuit for personal reasons.

DENVER — The American Civil Liberties Union has sued volunteers for an event with President Bush, saying they violated the civil rights of two people who were tossed out because of their political views.

Leslie Weise, 40, and Alex Young, 26, were escorted from the March 21 event after they arrived in a car with a bumper sticker reading "No more blood for oil," and wearing T-shirts saying "Stop the lies" under other clothes, according to the federal lawsuit filed on Nov. 21.

The suit names as defendants Michael Casper, Jay Bob Klinkerman and five unknown people who the ACLU says contributed to the decision to remove the pair.

"Hopefully we can identify people who helped shape the policy and helped carry it out," said volunteer ACLU attorney Martha Tierney.

Weise and Young thought Casper was a Secret Service agent because he wore a radio earpiece and a dark suit. Casper did not return calls to the Associated Press for this story.

Klinkerman, the head of the Colorado Federation of Young Republicans, did not have a listed phone number and did not return an e-mail message requesting comment.

Young and Weise were ejected before the president arrived to promote his proposal to revamp Social Security.

The suit seeks unspecified damages.

The ACLU said similar incidents had occurred at presidential town hall meetings in Arizona, North Dakota and New Hampshire.

"We will be highlighting the pattern of incidents ... to show that this was a concerted White House policy of violating the First Amendment rights of citizens," the ACLU said in a news release.

Last February, a "black list" of people banned from getting tickets to a visit from the president was published by The Forum newspaper of Fargo, N.D. The White House and the Republican Party denied such a list existed. Fargo police later said the list was created by a local volunteer involved in the ticket distribution.

Two women were removed from a Bush appearance at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, N.H., on Feb. 16. Carol Shea-Porter and Susan Mayer wore sweaters when they entered, but removed them to expose T-shirts with the message, "Turn your back on Bush."

The women reportedly caused no disruptions and sat through the entire forum. According to news reports, event staffers sat around them, apparently trying to block the news media's view of their T-shirts, and at the end of the program they were taken out a side door by security personnel.