Terrorism

Benghazi suspect arraigned; trial will be in DC

The suspected leader of the 2012 attacks on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, was arraigned on Saturday in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom. The suspect, Ahmed Abu Khattala, pleaded not guilty, report the Washington Post and the New York Times. The indictment unsealed on Saturday accuses Khattala of providing…

Jun 30, 2014 12:08 PM CDT

No-fly list’s ‘wholly ineffective’ challenge procedure violates due process, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Oregon has ruled for 13 Muslim Americans who claimed their due-process rights were violated when the federal government put their names on a no-fly list and gave them no practical way to challenge the placement. U.S. District Judge Anna Brown said the government procedures to remove…

Jun 25, 2014 12:45 PM CDT

Microsoft’s general counsel blasts surveillance court; federal judge upholds bulk collection of data

Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith blasted the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday, saying it creates law “that the American public is not permitted to read.” In a speech at the Brookings Institution, Smith said the court, which reviews government data requests in its fight against terrorism, is unlike…

Jun 25, 2014 12:10 PM CDT

Claimed leader in Benghazi slaying of US ambassador is captured, will be tried here

In a secret raid over the weekend, the U.S. captured a suspected leader of the fatal Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy compound in Benghazi in which the American ambassador to Libya was slain. Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured Sunday near Benghazi by U.S. Special Operations forces and…

Jun 17, 2014 6:10 PM CDT

Feds tell local law enforcement to remain silent about cellphone surveillance

Updated: The federal government is putting pressure on local law enforcement to keep quiet about its use of Stingray and other surveillance technology used to gather data off of mobile phones. The Associated Press reports that the Obama administration has taken the rare step of becoming actively involved with state…

Jun 13, 2014 6:45 PM CDT

7th Circuit holds do-over after secret hearing was recorded but public argument wasn’t

News last week of an unusual closed-door federal appeals court argument Wednesday from which even defense counsel was excluded was quickly followed by news of another rare occurrence the same day in the same case: The public portion of the argument wasn’t recorded. Then on Friday, another unexpected development occurred:…

Jun 9, 2014 10:00 PM CDT

Info in drone-strike memo would harm national security if released, US says in filing

The U.S. government, fearful of a national security breach, is seeking to redact more information before releasing a document laying out its legal reasoning for drone killings of Americans overseas who are suspected of terrorism, the Associated Press reports. The filing (PDF) late Thursday at the New York-based 2nd U.S.…

Jun 6, 2014 8:20 PM CDT

White House says notice law didn’t apply in ‘unique circumstances’ of detainee swap

The White House is offering an explanation for President Obama’s decision to authorize a detainee swap freeing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl without notice to Congress. A federal law requires the secretary of defense to give Congress 30 days’ notice before transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees. But a statement released by National Security…

Jun 4, 2014 12:10 PM CDT

US asks court for additional deletions in drone-strike memo

The U.S. Justice Department isn’t yet ready to release a redacted memo justifying the killing of an American terrorism suspect living overseas. The Justice Department agreed last week to release the memo, paving the way for confirmation of its author, David Barron, as a judge on the Boston-based 1st U.S.…

May 29, 2014 4:45 PM CDT

Drone-memo author is confirmed as federal appeals judge

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Harvard law professor David Barron as a judge on the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals amid controversy over a memo he wrote for the U.S. Justice Department. The Senate confirmed Barron on Thursday after the Justice Department indicated it would release Barron’s memo…

May 23, 2014 12:46 PM CDT

US will release drone-strike memo holding up judicial confirmation of former Justice official

U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. won’t appeal an appeals court order requiring disclosure of a classified legal memo justifying the killing of an American terrorism suspect living overseas, according to published reports. The Justice Department told the White House on Tuesday of its decision to release the 2011 memo…

May 21, 2014 12:50 PM CDT

Can TSA agent who leaked information invoke whistleblower law? SCOTUS to decide

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a former federal air marshal is entitled to assert whistleblower protections for revealing plans to cut security on some flights. The former air marshal, Robert MacLean, was fired three years after he spoke to MSNBC about a plan to stop deploying…

May 19, 2014 5:51 PM CDT

A ‘culture of misinformation’? Two senators express concern about DOJ statements to Supreme Court

Two Democratic senators have written Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. to express concerns about statements made to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging the foreign surveillance law. Senators Mark Udall of Colorado and Ron Wyden of Oregon claimed the administration is trying to “ignore or justify” statements it…

May 14, 2014 1:31 PM CDT

Accused Boston bomber’s lawyers seek to suppress statements, overturn federal death penalty

Corrected: Lawyers for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are seeking to suppress statements he made to the FBI while in the hospital. According to a court filing, Tsarnaev was interrogated despite 10 requests for a lawyer and despite entreaties to be left alone, report the Chicago Tribune and the…

May 9, 2014 12:23 PM CDT

Boston College offers to return interviews of Irish paramilitary troops

Members of the Irish Republican Army who gave Boston College historians secret, confidential interviews can claim their recordings if they wish to. The New York Times reported Tuesday that several interview subjects are concerned that their recordings could be used by law enforcement in the United Kingdom to solve old…

May 7, 2014 9:50 PM CDT