SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
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)
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.
_________________________
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
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.
_________________________