Key Prosecution Witness Excluded Over Torture In New York Terror Trial
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bmazJudge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York just issued an order excluding a key government prosecution witness, Hussein Abebe, excluded.
Military Encroachment On Civilian Authority & Seven Days In May
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bmazThe military is becoming ever more aggressively meddlesome in civilian control and political decision making at a time where the surveillance and communications control of the military is unparalleled. With public unrest from the dire economic conditions, there may be a further militarization of the political leadership.
Unconstitutional Surveillance & United States v. United States District Court: Who the Winner is may be a Secret - Part 2
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Mary
[Given the current surveillance state situation in America, the Keith case, formally known as United States v. United States District Court, is one of the most important cases from our recent past. But I don't really believe you can understand…
First Gitmo Habeas Case Makes Way To SCOTUS
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bmazFirst Gitmo Habeas Case Makes Way To SCOTUS and it will be an important bellwether to see if the Court accepts cert and, if so, what they do with the case.
Leura Canary Strikes Again: Alabama Bingo Arrests
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bmazThe DOJ has just announced significant arrests of eleven individuals, including four current Alabama state legislators, three lobbyists, two business owners and one of their employees, and an employee of the Alabama legislature in the long simmering Alabama Bingo case. The Karl Rove operative Leura Canary, still the US Attorney for that district in Alabama after all the Don Siegelman hell she caused is once again knee deep in the operation.
Unconstitutional Surveillance & United States v. U.S. District Court: Who The Winner Is May Be A Secret - Part 1
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MaryGiven the current surveillance state situation in America, the Keith case, formally known as United States v. United States District Court, is one of the most important cases from our recent past, and has profound implications on our present and future. The Keith case doesn't have simple facts, but they are fascinating and instructive. So bear with me as we go though them - this is going to take awhile, and will be laid out over a series of four posts.
The (Liz) Warren Commission and Financial Reform
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bmazA lot of hope was placed on the back of Elizabeth Warren and the financial reform act passed by Congress at the behest of the Administration and formally known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Concurrent with belittling the liberal Democratic activist base as ungrateful whiners, the Administration and Democratic leadership has touted Liz Warren and Dodd-Frank as prime examples of accomplishments that should thrill and satisfy the base. But are those “accomplishments” really all that and should they mollify Democrats, at least on financial reform issues? The initial returns indicate no.
Terror Trials In New York!!!
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bmazNot that anybody would know it, but there has been a terror trial going on all week in a real live Article III courtroom in the heart of Manhattan. Exactly like all the Republicans with vapors and trembling Democrats said could not be safely done.
Where's Cheney and His Freon Pump?
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bmazThe DOJ wants to be notified of human rights violators in the US; got any suggestions?
As Vaughn Walker Moves On, There Are No Replacements
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bmazVaughn Walker is retiring and President Obama is way behind the curve on maintaining the health of the Federal judiciary and liberal thought in the judiciary is on its deathbed.
Woodward's Secrets
Jeebus: Goldsmith may be getting a hang of this blogging thing, but I'm not: John Rizzo, not John Brennan. So the stuff I originally said about Brennan doesn't make any sense.
I may not always agree with Jack Goldsmith, but he's getting a…
DC Court: National Security Requires Dismissal of Suit Brought by Families of Men "Suicided" at Gitmo
Given that our President now holds that he has the authority to assassinate US Citizens with no due process--and he doesn't have to explain that authority to any court--it should be no surprise that the DC District Court has upheld its earlier…
The Compromise Intelligence Authorization
As DDay noted, it looks like we'll finally have an intelligence authorization bill. The bill is a partial win for Speaker Pelosi, as it makes full briefing to the Intelligence Committees within six months of the start of a program the default…
By October 24, 2001, They Decided They Could Detain Prisoners as Long as the Afghan War Continued
The reporting on the latest torture documents released in Binyam Mohamed's suit in the UK is damning enough (Beeb, Guardian). They show the highest levels of the British government--up to and including Tony Blair--were getting warnings that…
Obama Has Made Civil Liberties AND Foreclosures Worse
Greg Sargent and Steve Benen have interesting taxonomies of the Democrats who should buck up and clap louder. I think both bring some needed nuance to the discussion. As part of that, both include some kind of category of lefties who oppose…
Obama's Still Obfuscating about Domestic Surveillance
Adam Serwer does a pretty thorough job debunking Obama's lame effort to defend his civil liberties record.
When people start being concerned about, "You haven't closed Guantánamo yet," I say, listen, that's something I wanted to get done by…
A Defense of Tyranny?
I'm pretty fascinated by this attempt by one of John Cole's readers to defend the Administration's stance on assassinating US citizens. It's fascinating and not a little disturbing, but it deserves a response, if only to clarify precisely what…
This Raid on Peace Activists Brought to You By Elena Kagan
This article not only describes the hundreds of people who protested FBI raids of peace activists last week, but it provides more detail on what the FBI was looking for.
Agents were seeking "evidence relating to activities concerning the material…
Special Trash Talk Rubbish Row: Scotch
I realize some of you who, like me, are sitting right across the pond from Soldier Field might imagine this is just a special NFC North Edition of Monday Night Football Trash Talk.
But this is different.
I need your help.
You see, on…