Little Known Agency Gets Expanded Powers to Scour Databases for Terrorism Patterns

Attorney General Eric Holder has signed guidelines giving expansive new powers to a little-known agency to scour vast databases for patterns indicating terrorism, according to a published report. Holder approved the grant of new power to the National Counterterrorism Center despite objections by lawyers concerned about the privacy implications, the…

Dec 13, 2012 7:22 PM CST

Terrorism Law Is Practice Niche in New York City

Some lawyers in New York City are developing a new expertise: defending accused terrorists. The defendants are often tried in Manhattan or Brooklyn, and now there is a pool of qualified lawyers in the city to represent them, the New York Times reports. Often the lawyers are appointed by the…

Nov 26, 2012 12:40 PM CST

Ex-Navy Lawyer Is Disbarred for Sending Secret Names of Gitmo Detainees to Legal Group

The Kansas Supreme Court has disbarred a former Navy lawyer who mailed a classified list of Guantanamo detainees to the Center for Constitutional Rights. A majority of the court supported disbarment for Matthew Diaz, while a minority would have imposed an indefinite suspension, according to the opinion (PDF). Diaz had…

Nov 26, 2012 12:15 PM CST

Ad Attacks Michigan Supreme Court Candidate for Helping ‘Free a Terrorist’

A political ad sponsored by a group called the Judicial Crisis Network is criticizing a candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court with an allegation that she “volunteered to help free a terrorist.” The ad targets University of Michigan law professor Bridget McCormack. She is described as a lawyer fighting for…

Nov 5, 2012 11:00 AM CST

Are Some Laws Beyond Judicial Review? Justices Weigh Right to Sue over Wiretap Statute

Anthony M. Kennedy was among the justices Monday who appeared sympathetic to the plight of lawyers who fear their international communications are being monitored under a 2008 wiretap law targeting terrorism. Kennedy may have the key vote in the case in which the plaintiffs are claiming they were harmed by…

Oct 30, 2012 6:52 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Consider Right to Sue in Challenge to Wiretap Law

In oral arguments on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a group of lawyers, human rights groups and journalists have standing to challenge a warrantless wiretapping law. The 2008 law authorizes the National Security Agency to monitor international emails and phone calls without a warrant for each target,…

Oct 29, 2012 11:15 AM CDT

Ex-Navy Lawyer Who Gave Detainee Names to Legal Group Fights for His Law License

A former Navy lawyer who mailed a classified list of Guantanamo detainees to the Center for Constitutional Rights is fighting for his law license. The Kansas Supreme Court will hear arguments today on a recommended three-year suspension for Matthew Diaz, the Associated Press reports. The suspension would be retroactive to…

Oct 25, 2012 1:20 PM CDT

Former CIA Agent Pleads Guilty to Leaking Colleague Information

John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single charge of leaking information about colleagues in the agency’s detention and interrogation program involving al-Qaida suspects. According to the New York Times, Kiriakou told an Eastern District of Virginia judge that he leaked the information to a reporter.…

Oct 23, 2012 8:42 PM CDT

Lawyers for Accused Sept. 11 Mastermind Say Their Gitmo Offices Are a Health Hazard

Lawyers for accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed say they haven’t been able to work in their assigned offices because of the rats, rat droppings and mold. The lawyers said in court documents that they have complained about the problems for more than a year, the Miami Herald reports.…

Oct 4, 2012 12:01 PM CDT

Lawyer: Ex-Gitmo Detainee Khadr Wants to Be Contributing Member of Society

A Canadian youth who was the youngest detainee at Guantanamo is eager to be a normal, contributing member of society, according to his lawyer. Omar Khadr was only 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan and accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier. He pleaded guilty in…

Oct 1, 2012 2:18 PM CDT

As DC Circuit Weighs the Future of Guantanamo Inmates, Some Say Judicial Review Can Harm Military

Oct 1, 2012 10:10 AM CDT

Detention Policies: What Role for Judicial Review?

Oct 1, 2012 9:59 AM CDT

Author Describes Clash of Titans Jefferson and Marshall in ‘The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr’

Marbury v. Madison may have been their first major legal battle, but President Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice John Marshall clashed again in the treason trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr. Professor R. Kent Newmyer reveals these events in his new book, "The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr: Law, Politics, and the Character Wars of the New Nation," and joined the Modern Law Library podcast to discuss them with ABA Journal Web producer Lee Rawles.

Sep 24, 2012 1:56 PM CDT

Citing First Amendment Concerns, Federal Judge Overturns Indefinite Detention Law

A federal judge in Manhattan has struck down a law authorizing indefinite military detention of terrorism suspects. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest ruled in a suit by journalist Chris Hedges and several WikiLeaks supporters, the New York Times reports. They feared the government would view their activities as supporting terrorism…

Sep 13, 2012 2:32 PM CDT

Federal Judge’s ‘Scathing’ Opinion Blocks Gitmo Rule Change Restricting Lawyer-Client Contacts

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has blocked a rule change that required lawyers to abide by a different, more restrictive set of contact rules if their Guantanamo Bay clients no longer had pending cases. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said the rule change giving more authority to the Guantanamo…

Sep 7, 2012 12:42 PM CDT