Eleven years after the September 11 attack, the New York City Police Department continues to monitor the activities of the Tri-State area's Muslim community. And after complaints fell on deaf ears, a class action lawsuit was filed against the City with the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey--marking the first legal challenge of NYPD's Muslim-focused surveillance program.
In their pleadings, the plaintiffs allege that the City's police specifically and purposefully selected mosques, Muslim-owned businesses, Muslim Student Associations, and Muslim schools for surveillance based solely upon the religious beliefs of their owners or members. Rather than publicly deny those allegations, the City has maintained that the program is necessary and lawful. (Interestingly, the City was supported by the office of the New Jersey Attorney General, which recently opined that the surveillance activity was legal.)
A federal judge will now decide whether the program unjustifiably targets people based on their religious affiliation.
We'll keep a watchful eye on this for you. 
To view a copy of Federal District of New Jersey Complaint, please use this link: Syed Farhaj Hassan, et al., v. The City of New York
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Inquiries about this case may be directed to Newman Ferrara attorneys, Jeffrey Norton or Prof. Randy McLaughlin, at 212-619-5400