ADAMS TOWNSHIP, Pa.  It is safe to say that last week was the first time the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania had ever filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a pole dancing instructor.

But Witold J. Walczak, the organization’s legal director, said the issues involved were common to many of its cases.

“Why is the A.C.L.U. here?” Mr. Walczak asked. “The simple reason is this involves teaching, and that is expression protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.”

The instructor, Stephanie Babines, 30, was denied a permit to open a dance studio here. The A.C.L.U. has sued to overturn that decision.