SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Anwar al-Awlaki, whose death without due process was given legal justification in a memo co-authored by federal judge David Barron. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons by Muhammad ud-Deen and retouched by Greg A L)
Obama Administration Pushes for More Secrecy Over Drone Memo
With David Barron now confirmed as federal judge, administration says it wants further redactions of document.
May 29, 2014
The Obama administration this week is pushing for further censorship of the controversial memo that authorized the drone killing of a U.S. citizen.
The Senate last week confirmed David Barron, who co-authored that memo while at the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, for U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit. His confirmation came after the administration said it would release to senators, as ordered by a federal appeals court, a redacted version of the document, which provided the legal justification for the targeted assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen.
In a court filing on Tuesday, however, the government requested redactions of the document beyond those approved by the federal appeals court.
The government justified the censorship request by saying that some of what was allowed to be disclosed by the previous court decision may have been a "mistake."
"Some of the information appears to have been ordered disclosed based on inadvertence or mistake, or is subject to distinct exemption claims or other legal protections that have never been judicially considered," the New York Timesreports Sarah Normand, an assistant United States attorney, as writing in the filing.
The Times adds that on Wednesday the court denied the Justice Department's request to keep its request for further redactions secret.
_________________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Obama administration this week is pushing for further censorship of the controversial memo that authorized the drone killing of a U.S. citizen.
The Senate last week confirmed David Barron, who co-authored that memo while at the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, for U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit. His confirmation came after the administration said it would release to senators, as ordered by a federal appeals court, a redacted version of the document, which provided the legal justification for the targeted assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen.
In a court filing on Tuesday, however, the government requested redactions of the document beyond those approved by the federal appeals court.
The government justified the censorship request by saying that some of what was allowed to be disclosed by the previous court decision may have been a "mistake."
"Some of the information appears to have been ordered disclosed based on inadvertence or mistake, or is subject to distinct exemption claims or other legal protections that have never been judicially considered," the New York Timesreports Sarah Normand, an assistant United States attorney, as writing in the filing.
The Times adds that on Wednesday the court denied the Justice Department's request to keep its request for further redactions secret.
_________________________
The Obama administration this week is pushing for further censorship of the controversial memo that authorized the drone killing of a U.S. citizen.
The Senate last week confirmed David Barron, who co-authored that memo while at the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, for U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit. His confirmation came after the administration said it would release to senators, as ordered by a federal appeals court, a redacted version of the document, which provided the legal justification for the targeted assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen.
In a court filing on Tuesday, however, the government requested redactions of the document beyond those approved by the federal appeals court.
The government justified the censorship request by saying that some of what was allowed to be disclosed by the previous court decision may have been a "mistake."
"Some of the information appears to have been ordered disclosed based on inadvertence or mistake, or is subject to distinct exemption claims or other legal protections that have never been judicially considered," the New York Timesreports Sarah Normand, an assistant United States attorney, as writing in the filing.
The Times adds that on Wednesday the court denied the Justice Department's request to keep its request for further redactions secret.
_________________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.