Legal memos justifying drone killings bring controversy for appeals court nominee

Controversy over legal memos justifying drone killings may hold up confirmation of a former Justice Department lawyer’s nomination for a seat on a federal appeals court based in Boston. Both Democrats and Republicans are criticizing nominee David Barron, now a Harvard law professor, for writing the memos when he was…

May 6, 2014 12:33 PM CDT

Airlines and World Trade Center leaseholder don’t have to pay cleanup costs for 9/11 attacks

An appellate court has upheld a decision shielding American Airlines, United Airlines and the World Trade Center leaseholder from paying environmental cleanup costs relating to the 9/11 attacks in New York City. According to Reuters, a unanimous three-judge panel for the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held…

May 2, 2014 9:36 PM CDT

Gerry Adams arrested in connection with IRA murder of widow in 1972

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been arrested in connection with the 1972 kidnapping, murder and secret burial of Jean McConville, a Belfast woman thought to be a spy for the British. The Washington Post reports that Northern Ireland police took Adams into custody on Wednesday, where he’ll be questioned…

May 1, 2014 4:42 PM CDT

‘Sovereign citizens’ plaster courts with bogus legal filings—and some turn to violence

May 1, 2014 10:20 AM CDT

May 31, 1921: Race riot erupts in Tulsa

May 1, 2014 7:00 AM CDT

Report: Secret order by military judge requires CIA to reveal ‘black site’ info in USS Cole case

A secret order filed under seal by a military judge in the USS Cole bombing case orders the Central Intelligence Agency to reveal to the defense so-called “black site” details about the overseas detention and interrogation of the defendant over a period of several years. Relying on information from unidentified…

Apr 17, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Lawyer who represented terrorism suspects pleads guilty to tax charge

A New York lawyer who represented Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law has pleaded guilty to obstructing the Internal Revenue Service. Stanley Cohen, 63, pleaded guilty today in Syracuse, according to Syracuse.com. The New York Times had an advance story on the expected plea. Cohen was accused of failing to report $20,000…

Apr 14, 2014 2:46 PM CDT

Does classified report show that CIA sent DOJ inaccurate info on harsh interrogations?

A classified report by the Senate Intelligence Committee reportedly says the CIA sent flawed information about its harsh interrogations to the Justice Department, impeding proper analysis of the legality of those methods. McClatchy News says the secret report calls into question the Justice Department’s legal opinions finding that waterboarding and…

Apr 11, 2014 1:37 PM CDT

Pointing to recent NYC conviction, AG Eric Holder calls for more civilian terrorism trials

The terrorism-support conviction of an adviser to Osama bin Laden by a civilian jury in federal court in New York City last month shows that the nation’s criminal justice system is working and should be relied on in other such cases, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday in a…

Apr 1, 2014 8:30 PM CDT

Glenn Beck sued for alleged defamation over Boston Marathon ‘money man’ comments

A Saudi Arabian student injured at the Boston Marathon bombing has sued radio personality Glenn Beck for suggestions that the 20-year-old youth was the “money man” behind the attacks. The suit by Abdulrahman Alharbi says Beck labeled him as a suspect even after federal authorities found he had no connection…

Apr 1, 2014 11:55 AM CDT

Cleric who married Bin Laden’s daughter is convicted in civilian terrorism-support trial

A cleric and adviser to Osama bin Laden who praised the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has been convicted in a civilian New York court of conspiracy to kill Americans and providing material support to terrorists. The conviction of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who was Bin Laden’s son-in-law, came after the cleric…

Mar 26, 2014 3:17 PM CDT

Lawyer sues to learn whether the FBI accessed his law firm’s computers

A Virginia lawyer wants to know whether the FBI obtained access to his law firm’s computers as part of an investigation into his possession of three classified documents. Kel McClanahan filed a federal suit last Friday in Washington, D.C., seeking records under the Freedom of Information Act that would answer…

Mar 26, 2014 2:49 PM CDT

Obama, lawmakers reportedly set to unveil plan to restrict NSA collection of phone data

The Obama administration and leaders of the House Intelligence Committee will reportedly unveil plans to restrict the National Security Agency’s collection of phone records. Unnamed senior intelligence officials tell the New York Times that Obama’s plan would leave the data with phone companies, which would not be required to retain…

Mar 25, 2014 2:01 PM CDT

Senate approves new CIA general counsel amid criticism of acting predecessor

The U.S. Senate approved Caroline Krass as the general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency on Thursday, just two days after U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein criticized Krass’ acting predecessor. The Senate confirmed Krass in a 95-4 vote, report the New York Times, the Washington Post, Politico and the Associated Press.…

Mar 14, 2014 3:57 PM CDT

Court’s secret ‘Raw Take’ order allowed sharing of personal information by intelligence agencies

Documents leaked by Edward Snowden help show how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court evolved from its original mission of approving wiretap requests to opinions justifying activities such as the bulk collection of data about email and phone calls. The New York Times reports on the disclosures and one of the…

Mar 12, 2014 2:46 PM CDT