Terrorism

Yale Law Dean Going to Washington, Will Advise State Department

A national security law expert who is a well-known critic of the Bush administration’s detention policies concerning suspected terrorists has been tapped by President Barack Obama to provide legal advice to the U.S. Department of State. Harold Hongju Koh, who currently is dean of Yale Law School, will be nominated…

Mar 23, 2009 9:31 PM CDT

Detainees Can Sue U.S. Contractor Over Alleged War Crimes at Abu Ghraib Prison

Four individuals who say they were tortured while held prisoner at the Abu Ghraib detention facility in Iraq can sue a U.S. defense contractor whose employees allegedly participated in the claimed war crimes, a federal judge has ruled. In an opinion released today, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee rejected…

Mar 19, 2009 9:19 PM CDT

ACLU and Lawyers Guild Seek Differing Probes of Ex-Administration Lawyers

Two liberal legal groups are seeking ways to penalize administration officials and lawyers who authorized harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects. The American Civil Liberties Union has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged torture at secret prisons run by the CIA, the Washington Post…

Mar 18, 2009 5:50 PM CDT

Secret Red Cross Report Says CIA Detainees Were Tortured

A secret report by the International Committee of the Red Cross concludes some al-Qaida detainees were tortured by the CIA and subjected to “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” The Washington Post obtained a copy of the report from Mark Danner, a journalism professor and author. The story says the report…

Mar 16, 2009 11:51 AM CDT

Obama Eliminates ‘Enemy Combatant’ from DOJ Legal Lexicon

In a U-turn from the language of the Bush administration, the White House has eliminated the use of the term “enemy combatant” concerning terrorism suspects being held at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. At the same time, the White House may also have strengthened the legal…

Mar 13, 2009 9:41 PM CDT

Where Are They Now? Job Search Tough for Some Administration Lawyers

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales isn’t the only Bush administration lawyer having trouble finding work. A handful of lawyers involved in debating terrorism policies faced a difficult job search, the New York Times reports. The story says David Addington, a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, is reportedly still…

Mar 9, 2009 12:33 PM CDT

Should Yoo Be Punished for Memos? Experts Disagree, DOJ Opposes Liability

Critics are calling for punishment of the Justice Department author of several memos backing harsh interrogation techniques and broad presidential powers. They raise the specter of prosecution, civil liability and ethics sanctions against John Yoo, now a law professor in California. But Yoo is getting backing from current lawyers in…

Mar 9, 2009 11:50 AM CDT

Enemy Combatant’s Coercion Claims Likely to be Aired in Civilian Trial

A terrorism suspect held in a military brig for nearly six years as an enemy combatant will now get a chance to defend himself in civilian court—and to air his claims of coercion. Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, accused of being an al-Qaida sleeper agent, has claimed he was subjected to…

Mar 6, 2009 7:38 PM CST

Supreme Court Vacates Ruling Allowing Indefinite Detention of Terrorism Suspect

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t be hearing a challenge to the indefinite detention of an alleged enemy combatant following his recent indictment. The high court dismissed the case as moot and vacated a federal appeals court decision upholding the president’s power to detain the terrorism suspect, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri,…

Mar 6, 2009 7:13 PM CST

Most Sept. 11 Lawsuits Settle; Total Payout is $500M, Mediator Says

A mediator reportedly has settled all but three of the more than 90 wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits brought against airlines and related companies concerning the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Mediator Sheila Birnbaum said in a report today that the total payout on these claims is $500 million,…

Mar 6, 2009 12:07 AM CST

Law Profs Shocked By DOJ Memos About Bush Presidential Powers

Law professors with differing political perspectives agree on one thing after seeing the recently released U.S. Department of Justice legal memos outlining the scope of presidential power during the Bush administration: They went too far. Written over a several-year period after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the since-countermanded memos…

Mar 4, 2009 9:52 PM CST

John Yoo Says His Memos ‘Were Not for Public Consumption’

The author of several controversial Justice Department memos that endorsed expansive presidential powers and harsh interrogation techniques after the Sept. 11 attacks says he is worried about the impact of their release. John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is on leave to work as a…

Mar 4, 2009 1:29 PM CST

CIA Destroyed 92 Interrogation Videotapes

Federal prosecutors have revealed the CIA destroyed 92 videotapes of its interrogations of terrorism suspects. Prosecutors investigating the destruction gave the count to a Manhattan federal court hearing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Times reports. The story says the…

Mar 3, 2009 12:58 PM CST

DOJ Memo Allowed Free Speech Curbs, Military Force Against US Terrorists

Newly disclosed memos from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel sanctioned the use of military force against U.S. terrorists, curbs on free speech and the transfer of terrorism suspects to countries known to commit human rights abuses. Jennifer Daskal of Human Rights Watch told the Washington Post that the…

Mar 3, 2009 12:38 PM CST

Secret Surveillance Court Moves to New Secure Courtroom

The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is moving from the Justice Department to a new $2 million courtroom in the Washington, D.C., federal courthouse. Reinforced concrete will encase the courtroom, and biometric hand scanners will be used to gain entrance, the Washington Post reports. Workers spent two years on the…

Mar 2, 2009 7:42 PM CST