Military Law

ACLU Sues DOJ to See 'Targeted Killing' Legal Justification Memos

  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

The American Civil Liberties Union has sued to compel the Justice Department release of memos disclosing the legal justification for strikes that have killed U.S. citizens abroad.

A lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday follows the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-Yemeni citizen and suspected al-Qaida militant who was killed in a drone strike last September, Reuters reports.

Reuters reports that American militants like al-Awlaki and American Samir Khan, who was also killed in the drone attack, are placed on a kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior U.S. government officials. There are no public records of the panel’s operations.

The ACLU filed suit after requests under the Freedom of Information Act were denied. A similar suit was filed in December by the New York Times.

Also see:

image

Read all the articles in the Patriot Debate series:

WAR POWERS



TARGETED KILLINGS



CYBERWARFARE



COERCED INTERROGATIONS



DOMESTIC TERRORISM



THIRD-PARTY DOCTRINE



NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS



DETENTION POLICY


Give us feedback, share a story tip or update, or report an error.