Terrorism

Plaintiffs seeking to hold social media liable for Pulse nightclub attack lose in 6th Circuit

A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to hold Twitter, Facebook and Google liable for the Pulse nightclub attacks by a gunman who killed 49 people. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati said the plaintiffs had failed to allege any direct…

Apr 17, 2019 11:32 AM CDT

ABA says decision of revoked war crimes prosecutor’s visa should be reversed; no US honeymoon for this lawyer

Updated: The United States has revoked the visa of the chief prosecutor to the International Criminal Court because she has requested an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan that could examine U.S. abuse in detention centers overseas. The office of chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda confirmed Friday that her visa had…

Apr 8, 2019 12:09 PM CDT

USS Cole lawsuit was served at wrong place, SCOTUS rules; $315M judgment reversed

Sailors and family members who sued Sudan in the USS Cole bombing served the lawsuit in the wrong place, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. The faulty service requires reversal of a $315 million default judgment against Sudan for allegedly supporting al Qaida before it bombed the USS Cole, the…

Mar 26, 2019 1:45 PM CDT

Second judge in a row leaves USS Cole case to join immigration court

This fall, the former judge in a high-profile Guantanamo terrorism case caused controversy by leaving the military in order to become an immigration judge. Another judge was appointed to replace him. Now, the replacement judge is also leaving to become an immigration judge, the Miami Herald reported Monday.

Jan 8, 2019 10:21 AM CST

Developments in Guantanamo detainee’s case point to an uncertain future

Substantial developments in the Guantanamo military commission case against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri have complicated an already complex and unusual situation. The ABA Journal featured al-Nashiri’s case in its November cover story, in part because of the ethics claims that caused three civilian defense lawyers—most of al-Nashiri’s defense team—to quit the…

Dec 21, 2018 1:55 PM CST

New database tracks the prosecution of right-wing extremists

A new online data project is tracking far-right extremism by collecting and aggregating federal and state criminal cases against extremists, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Nov 16, 2018 5:35 PM CST

Legal ethics questions and accusations of spying have stymied Guantanamo terrorism trial

Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammad al-Nashiri’s civilian defense team quit. They found a microphone in the room where they met with their client, who is charged in the bombing of the USS Cole. The government says that microphone was never turned on, but thanks in part to a history of spying on defense lawyers at Guantanamo, lawyers didn’t trust those reassurances.

Nov 1, 2018 12:10 AM CDT

Florida man charged in pipe bomb probe; white van with Trump stickers is seized

Updated: A Florida man has been charged in connection with more than a dozen pipe bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and several other prominent Democrats.

Oct 26, 2018 12:00 PM CDT

Is controversial Guantanamo judge now an immigration judge? Defense asks to throw out his rulings

A retiring military judge whose handling of a Guantanamo military trial raised eyebrows appears to have been hired as an immigration judge, the Miami Herald reported last Friday.

Sep 18, 2018 2:05 PM CDT

Kavanaugh email shows offer to prepare ex-AG Ashcroft on attorney-client monitoring issue

A 2001 email released Thursday is likely to raise new questions about U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s involvement in terrorism policies when he was an assistant White House counsel in the George W. Bush administration.

Aug 10, 2018 11:08 AM CDT

Democrats want to know whether Kavanaugh had any role in torture and detainee policies under GW Bush

Democrats are seeking files from the George W. Bush administration to learn whether Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had any role in formulating policies on the treatment of detainees. The Washington Post spoke with Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who is pursuing the issue. Durbin has said he was misled when…

Jul 19, 2018 12:40 PM CDT

Gitmo military commissions should end or be reformed, says report shared with Congress in ABA letter

A panel of experts in national security and military law recommends either ending or reforming the military commissions being used to try terrorism suspects at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a report the ABA shared in letters sent to two Congressional committees Tuesday.

May 23, 2018 9:31 AM CDT

DC Circuit orders US to submit information about any attorney-client eavesdropping at Guantanamo

A federal appeals court has ordered the U.S. government to submit classified information about possible attorney-client eavesdropping at Guantanamo Bay. The appeals court acted in a case filed by two lawyers who resigned from representing the accused mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole after finding a microphone…

May 14, 2018 3:43 PM CDT

Profile in Courage Award-winner to lead ABA Center for Global Programs

A former general counsel to the U.S. Navy who has been honored for his human rights advocacy was named on Monday to be the new director of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, and will oversee the association's international human rights programs.

May 14, 2018 1:10 PM CDT

Parents of Otto Warmbier sue North Korea over death of their son

The parents of University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier have sued North Korea for the death of their son, who was detained for the alleged theft of a poster. The suit says Warmbier was tortured during a 17-month detention in North Korea that began in January 2016, report the Washington…

Apr 27, 2018 9:13 AM CDT