The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the city of Troy and Public Works Commissioner Bob Mirch for shuttering an art center in the midst of a controversial exhibit over a year ago.

The suit alleges that the closing of the Sanctuary for Independent Media on March 11, 2008 for code violations a day after the opening of “Virtual Jihadi,” a game in which a suicide bomber tries to kill then-President George W. Bush, violated the Sanctuary’s Constitution-protected rights to free speech, due process and equal protection.

For more on this story, keep checking The Record's Web site as well as Wednesday's edition of the paper.