Current EFF members and donors are invited to join Senior Staff Attorneys Marcia Hofmann and Kurt Opsahl for drinks at a secret Seattle location on Wednesday, August 31st, to discuss that day's hearings on EFF's warrantless wiretapping cases before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court will consider the legality and constitutionality of the now nearly ten-year-old massive domestic surveillance programs that routinely deliver the everyday communications and communications records of millions of ordinary Americans to the National Security Agency. Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston will argue in Jewel v. NSA, and EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn will challenge the FISA Amendments Act in Hepting v. AT&T. These hearings begin on Wednesday, August 31, 2011, at 2 PM and are open to the public.

EFF's Speakeasy events are free, informal gatherings that give EFF members a chance to mingle with other local supporters and meet the people behind the world's leading digital civil liberties organization. It is also our chance to thank you, the EFF members who make this work possible.

Seattle-area members will receive a personal invitation with location details by email on Tuesday, August 23rd. Your guests are welcome, but space is limited. Attendees must be 21 or older. No-host bar. For more information, contact membership@eff.org.

Not a member, or let your membership lapse this year? There's still time to sign up today at https://www.eff.org/join!