A Tough Road Ahead for Prosecutors Appointed to Probe Classified Leaks

Two U.S. attorneys appointed on Friday to probe leaks of intelligence information face several obstacles under the 1917 espionage law used in such cases. Leak prosecutions typically rely on a law that bars disclosure of national defense information to unauthorized persons, the New York Times reports. For a criminal conviction,…

Jun 11, 2012 2:04 PM CDT

8th Circuit Tosses 19 Contempt Citations for Defendant Who Refused to Stand for Judge

A federal appeals court has ordered a judge to consider the religious rights of a defendant who claimed her Muslim religion prevented her from standing at the opening and close of court sessions. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis of…

Jun 5, 2012 1:19 PM CDT

Probing Questions: Experts Debate the Need to Create Exceptions to Rules on Coerced Confessions

Jun 1, 2012 10:10 AM CDT

Should We Create Exceptions to Rules Regarding Coerced Interrogation of Terrorism Suspects?

Jun 1, 2012 10:00 AM CDT

Pakistani Doctor Who Helped Find Bin Laden Is Imprisoned

A Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track down Osama Bin Laden was convicted Wednesday of conspiring against the state and was sentenced to 33 years in prison. The move adds new strains to an already deeply troubled relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan, the Associated Press reports. U.S. officials…

May 23, 2012 10:14 PM CDT

2nd Circuit Upholds FOIA Exemption for CIA Waterboarding Records

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling exempting the CIA’s waterboarding records and a photograph of Abu Zubaydah during his interrogation from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. In its ruling (PDF), the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the act…

May 22, 2012 10:33 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Consider Standing in ACLU Suit Challenging ‘Dragnet Surveillance’

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether lawyers, journalists and human rights groups have standing to challenge a federal wiretap law. The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed suit on behalf of the plaintiffs, says in a press release that the law allows the National Security Agency “to…

May 21, 2012 4:57 PM CDT

Lawyer for Sept. 11 Defendant Says She Wore Hijab at Arraignment Out of Respect for Client

Corrected: A defense lawyer for one of five Sept. 11 suspects is defending her decision to wear a hijab during the arraignment before a military tribunal on Saturday. During the proceeding, lawyer Cheryl Bormann was “sporting a black burqa” while one of the female prosecutors “sent a silent message to…

May 7, 2012 12:04 PM CDT

Accused Sept. 11 Plotters to Be Arraigned; Lawyer Doesn’t Expect Guilty Pleas

A lawyer for one of five defendants accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks said he doesn’t expect any guilty pleas in their arraignments on Saturday before a Guantanamo military tribunal. Accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the planning, and co-defendant Ramzi Binalshibh has said he was…

May 4, 2012 2:19 PM CDT

9th Circuit Nixes Padilla Suit Against Lawyer John Yoo, Author of So-Called DOJ Torture Memos

Reversing a federal district judge’s determination that an enemy combatant could sue a Justice Department lawyer over his “torture memos” authorizing the use of harsh interrogation methods by U.S. authorities on terrorism suspects, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that John Yoo is immune from Jose Padilla’s suit seeking a…

May 2, 2012 7:03 PM CDT

Cyberattacks: Computer Warfare Looms as Next Big Conflict in International Law

May 1, 2012 10:10 AM CDT

What Is the Role of Lawyers in Cyberwarfare?

May 1, 2012 10:00 AM CDT

Accused Sept. 11 Mastermind and Alleged Conspirators to Get Joint Trial at Gitmo

A senior Pentagon official has authorized a Guantanamo trial for five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including accused mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. On Wednesday, Retired Vice Adm. Bruce MacDonald approved the case against the men for a joint trial, report the Washington Post and Reuters. The…

Apr 5, 2012 3:06 PM CDT

Uneasy Targets: How Justifying the Killing of Terrorists Has Become a Major Policy Debate

Apr 1, 2012 10:49 AM CDT

Letters: Weighing in on War Powers

Apr 1, 2012 10:20 AM CDT