Terrorism

Secret warrant from intelligence court reportedly authorized Yahoo email scans

A secret warrant reportedly issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court last year authorized Yahoo scans of emails for specific information requested by the U.S. government, according to two anonymous government officials. The warrant was issued under the authority of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, two unnamed…

Oct 6, 2016 9:47 AM CDT

Service of process via Twitter is allowed in suit against Kuwaiti man accused of funding ISIS

A federal magistrate judge in San Francisco has approved service of a lawsuit via Twitter on an overseas Kuwaiti national accused of helping fund ISIS. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler allowed the Twitter service in a suit by the nonprofit St. Francis Assisi, the Technology & Marketing Law Blog reports.…

Oct 4, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Congress votes to override veto of bill allowing families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia

Updated: Congress has voted to override President Obama’s veto of a bill that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for alleged involvement in the attacks. The U.S. Senate voted 97-1on Wednesday to override the veto, then the House voted 348-77 to override, the Washington Post…

Sep 28, 2016 2:10 PM CDT

ACLU says it is representing bombing suspect Rahami after he was denied right to lawyer

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey says it is representing bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami on federal charges until federal public defenders are allowed to take over. The ACLU says in a press release that Rahami has been denied a right to a lawyer by both the U.S.…

Sep 26, 2016 4:35 PM CDT

Federal judge says it’s ‘outrageous’ that BigLaw firm sent associate to court

Updated: A federal judge in Brooklyn said last week it was “outrageous, irresponsible and insulting” that Kirkland & Ellis sent an associate—and no partner—to represent Facebook at a court hearing. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis told Kirkland associate Aulden Burcher-DuPont last Thursday that the law firm should “scrounge up a…

Sep 26, 2016 8:15 AM CDT

Bombing suspect is charged in two federal courts; he was questioned without lawyer, PD says

Bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami is now facing federal as well as state charges in connection with bombings in New York and New Jersey and a shootout with police. Rahami was charged in connection with the bombings on Tuesday in complaints filed in federal courts in Newark (PDF) and Manhattan…

Sep 21, 2016 11:49 AM CDT

Trump complains that bombing suspect will get ‘outstanding lawyer’

Donald Trump complained at a campaign rally in Florida on Monday that bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami will get “amazing hospitalization” and “an outstanding lawyer.” Rahami was shot and wounded in a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey, on Monday and charged with five counts of attempting to murder…

Sep 20, 2016 8:42 AM CDT

Police shoot man wanted in bombing investigation; family members once alleged anti-Muslim bias

Updated: Police have shot and wounded a 28-year-old New Jersey man they sought to question in connection with the bombing in Manhattan on Saturday that injured 29 people and a bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey, the same day. Police shot Ahmad Khan Rahami of Elizabeth, New Jersey, in a…

Sep 19, 2016 10:58 AM CDT

Congress approves bill allowing families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia

The White House has indicated it may veto a bill approved by Congress on Friday that allows families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The legislation would eliminate sovereign immunity for foreign governments in cases involving terrorist attacks within the United States, the Washington Post reports. The bill…

Sep 9, 2016 11:51 AM CDT

Lawyers are among the dead in suicide bombing outside Pakistan courthouse

At least 12 people died, including four lawyers, in a suicide bombing on Friday outside a courthouse in Pakistan. A suicide bomber threw a grenade at the entrance to the courthouse in Mardan and then blew himself up, report the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street…

Sep 2, 2016 8:47 AM CDT

Former Justice Department lawyer is censured for telling journalist about wiretap program

A former Justice Department lawyer has been censured for telling a New York Times reporter about the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretap program. The lawyer, Thomas Tamm, was censured (PDF) on Thursday, report the National Law Journal (sub. req.) and the Legal Profession Blog. Tamm had agreed to accept the…

Aug 26, 2016 3:07 PM CDT

Law professor is among those killed in attack on American University of Afghanistan

An assistant law professor at American University of Afghanistan was among those killed in an attack late Wednesday that claimed the lives of at least 13 people. The attack on the school in Kabul ended early Thursday, about 10 hours after it began, report the New York Times and Al…

Aug 25, 2016 10:04 AM CDT

Judge rules Twitter is protected from liability lawsuit over ISIS propaganda

Federal law protects Twitter from liability for ISIS tweets said to have inspired a gunman who killed two U.S. law enforcement contractors in Jordan last year, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge William Orrick III of San Francisco dismissed the suit against Twitter on Wednesday, but allowed plaintiffs…

Aug 12, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

How should the United States balance border security and human rights?

Concerns about national security have driven much of our recent immigration policy—and many of the discussions taking place in the current U.S. presidential election. But how do policymakers balance those concerns with the rights of American citizens and the human rights of people seeking refuge from violence overseas? Two panels…

Aug 6, 2016 4:25 PM CDT

FBI director: Fix clashes between privacy, public safety with ‘robust conversation,’ not litigation

The FBI is collecting data on how the widespread use of encryption technology is “impacting our world,” and is looking for examples to share with the American people for an informed debate over the collision of two of our most basic values: privacy and public safety, FBI Director James Comey…

Aug 5, 2016 9:14 PM CDT