The Obama administration has won a court victory allowing it to keep secret various memos related to its legal justification for using drones to kill U.S. citizens, a federal appeals court said in a decision unsealed Monday.
This could mean increased use of drone strikes against U.S. citizens, and some activists have expressed concern that the program – with little legal oversight – could theoretically be expanded to include mainline America strikes.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Obama administration in a second round of Freedom of Information Act requests by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and The New York Times, after an earlier request had succeeded in only forcing the government to disclose a heavily redacted version of a 2010 41-page legal opinion prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department describing for the Defense Department the legality of targeted drone attacks.
The appeals court said then that prior public disclosures by senior government officials including President Barack Obama did not have to include certain information, including parts of the legal justification for the use of deadly force against U.S. citizens.
The Oct. 22 decision by the 2nd Circuit to keep eight memos secret largely upheld an Oct. 31, 2014 ruling by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan. It remained sealed for a month to provide time for appeal.
In a decision written by Circuit Judge Jon O. Newman, a three-judge appeals panel said it had ordered the release of the 2010 legal opinion because government officials made public statements about the document in relatively close proximity to its creation. It noted that a 2002 document providing legal advice to the president’s close legal adviser will remain sealed after it did not lead to public statements by government officials until eight years after its creation.
ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer said he strongly disagrees with the ruling, which allows three “crucial legal memos” to remain secret.
“In a democracy, there should be no room for ‘secret law,’ and the courts should not play a role in perpetuating it,” Jaffer said in a statement. “As President Obama considers his legacy and the certainty that the targeted-killing program will soon be in the hands of a new president, we urge the administration to disclose more information about the program and subject it to stronger oversight.”
Jaffer continues, “The government should not be using lethal force based on standards that are explained only vaguely and on facts that are never published or independently reviewed,” he added.
Some legal scholars complained that it was illegal for the U.S. to kill American citizens away from the battlefield without a trial.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
I hope it gets appealed an people wonder why we don’t trust the goverment with good reason
Not only do we have to worry about terrorists, the 25,000 illegals that crossed our border since October 1, 2015, but now we have to worry about the government droning anyone that disagrees with the president!
Will he drone gun owners?
Expect that! I for one will attempt to shoot down any drone over my property.
I never dreamt we’d ever live in an America where their was this kind of power over the people….God help us all…
Too many and most are keeping quiet on the fact that they own one, or even more. I worry on him targeting Trump or Cruz, or anyone that Americans would trust and follow.
The CIA has a special division working inside the country, murdering doctors and scientists, and journalists too. The same thing happened many decades ago in British Aerospace’s MARCONI DIVISION, after they developed a “star wars” system of air defense to be sold to Iraq. We wanted to test it against our more advanced systems, Over 22 scientists were “suicided” within a few weeks. These murders pale in comparison to the half million Iraqi babies and children killed in our biological warfare that was tacitly legal under the Law of War and Peace (Geneva Convention). The mean reason Americans support such an evil government is mind control, in the form of mass media. education, and social destabilizers like poverty, drugs, so-called music and entertainment that only alienates and depresses. The London Tavistock Institute and its Council on Foreign Relations over here control you in ways even the educated cannot comprehend.
IS THERE AN OPEN SEASON ON UNMANNED DRONES, I NEED SOME SHOTGUN PRACTICE !
have him arrested on war crimes and holding an office which committed fraud to get it he is not an american citizen he is illegal has no papers that can proof he is a citizen. he has put our lives and country in danger and he has been carrying out plans to kill America and the American. These people need to arrested at once, George Soros, Jarrett, Biden, Harry Reid, Kerry, Nancy P., and all his Amdm. and all other adivisors who has is helping him destory our country. He has no legal papers that says he is an American ciitzien. Remove him and have an election by Jan. 2016, Congress is the cause of this man being our country and they allowed him to run for Senate and President with no legal papers. The only thing he has is an over stayed visa card no legal name , no legal ss#, the only thing he has the paper the D A King paid Harvard $20 million that says he has a law degree which he does not have. He has put our lives and our country in danger and harm. He has released our war criminals to kill us. he needs to be hung for war crimes.breaking our laws and fraud for sitting in an high level office he is not qualified to hold. Arrest them now he should not have ever allowed to run for a politicial office as a non citizen,. He has caused the death of many of our young people.
He’s also one of those lizard people.
Please take your anti-psychotic medication.
This country is already lost. Obama will stage nationwide riots so he can declare martial law, suspend the constitution, and declare himself president for life. Any dissident will be sent to one of his gulags to be tortured and killed.
That is my guess! But I will not go to a gulag. I will die shooting back.
You, Mr. Howell, like so many people here, are completely Looney Toons. You, too, Valor.
Very well spoken
Man…do I agree!!!!!!! Juanita Reed has hit the nail right on the head. I have known for years what this damned muslim, idiot, liar, traitor was up to…exactly what he said he was going to do to our precious USA. Everyone knew he was illegal and had no papers because he paid millions of dollars to have his past and his true identity hidden …no Social Security card of his own…How does someone steal the highest office in the most wonderful free country in this entire world and totally destroy her and noone does one stinking thing about it??? We have the dumbest numbskulls in this entire world working in Washington…every last one of them…dems and repubs alike sat on their hands with their thumbs up their butts and did nothing. They have talked about impeachment for ever but no one is doing one lousy thing to get it done. And Boehner in Congress should be shot or hung for treason himself for sitting there and allowing him to spend OUR money like there is no tomorrow!!! Millions of our money on ridiculously expensive vacations with half the country traveling with him to save and protect his worthless butt !!!!! Well, if anyone out there even thinks there will be an election and the USA will get a new president… they must be smoking opium…there will be NO ELECTION. All there will be is Agenda 21 and martial law and torture for our people!!!!! Think I am kidding? You WILL see soon enough. But I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still on the Throne and He will NEVER forsake his Own!!!!! Obama can continue the torture and killing of Christians all he wants to but the Bible says that God laughs at these kinds of people because He knows what is coming for them !!! And God will simply take His children Home to Heaven to live with Him for Eternity while IDIOTS LIKE oBAMA WILL BURN IN HELL FOR ETERNITY!!! Well, I have said enough for now but I have said enough to give you fair warning. Take Heed !!!!!
Gingerkake
At this time, impeachment would take too long! Congressmen and senators traitors if they don’t put a stop to this madman!! I agree with Juanita Reed and GINGERKAKE most definitely!!
JUANITA REED and GINGERKAKE, VERY COURAGEOUS COMMENTS.
THE BIGGEST THING NOW ON OBAMA,S BUCKET LIST NOW IS WHAT HIS LEGECY WILL BE. 1 DEED NOW WILL NOT ERASE WHAT HE’S DONE THE PAST 6 YEARS. HE SAID HE WAS CHRISTIAN “BEFORE” HE WAS ELECTED BUT HE’S BEEN SUCKING UP TO THE MUSLEMS EVER SINCE HE’S BEEN IN OFFICE INCLUDING BOWING TO THE “KING” MUSLEM IN SAUDI ARABIA. HE ALWAYS WAITS UNTIL HE TAKES ANOTHER TRIP OUTSIDE OUR COUNTRY TO BASH OUR COUNTRY’S (CHRISTIANS/ POLITICIANS/ AND CITIZENS. HE STAYS BUSY IN DC PLANNING VACATIONS AND SIDE TRIPS FOR HIS KIDS AND HIS WIFE {AT TAXPAYERS EXPENSE. YES, HE HAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED HIS LEGECY
Bush also bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. It’s a presidential tradition. Nixon did too. I guess Bush and Nixon are Muslims also.
Moe,
The difference between Obama and Bush & Nixon, are vast. Obama acts like a Muslim, loves the Muslims, and wants Shira Law, We all know Bush and Nixon were not. Duhh!!
Obama kissed his ring ,I am not sure which ring it was and how many times he kissed it,
Good 1!!! 🙂
Spelling is terrible! MUSLIM not MUSLEM, Legacy Not Legecy.
What difference does it make? It is a shitty organization no matter how you spell it.
On page 261 of Obama’s book Audacity of Hope he wrote “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” Particularly over the last several days we can see that he meant every word. It would be nice if we were governed by a patriot instead on our enemy.
How true!
Only a rotten coward waits until they are safely away from the people they are bad mouthing, before they open their poisoned mouth.
Obummer is the type of person who calls people dirty names and untruths, from 7,000 miles away, but never to your face!
Isn’t this type of behavior TREASON?
Sure, but who will do anything about it? Surely not career politicians who think they have to “play nice” and make deals to get money for their districts to justify reelection.
Congress, not the president, needs to formulate a policy on when the government is allowed to use drones to kill civilians. I can understand using this on the battlefield as a tool of war, but this can easily be abused to deprive people of their rights granted by the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution was written to protect the citizens from an overreaching federal government. It’s time our leaders abide by the document as written and ratified.
Justin-
The Constitution grants NO rights. Never has; never will. What it DOES do is require all office-holders(elected or appointed or simply employed) to secure our God-given Rights by virtue of their oaths of office – and these rights are only as secure as the honor and integrity, insight and understanding of oath-takers.
The main problem, it appears to me, is that no one – ever – has been held to account for how poorly they’ve lived up to that oath; compare the situation to that of a courtroom. Suppose no one who lies in court and is caught were ever prosecuted for perjury; would the lying cease or grow larger?
Same with office-holders; if they have been led to believe(and experience has shown it to be true) that their oaths of office are “merely ceremonial,” then none of these lying, oathbreaking scum will be prosecuted, which is the green light for abuses of all kinds.
One last thing: if you believe that a piece of paper “gives” you your rights, it’s a simple matter for you to be led to believe that another piece of paper can take them away. Abandon any belief that your rights come from anywhere other than Our Creator, and begin to hold oathtakers to the conditions they swore to when they began their employment on the public dime.
The real problem is the courts They are politically motivated They are supposed to make decisions based on constitutional
standards, We need to have laws passed that will force judges to abide by the law, not make them.
they are the illuminati they have already installed something in the underground of the church of the illumination and connected it with the vatican to destroy Rome
It looks like OSLIMA has some more appointed judge’s in his pocket!! The F.B.I., needs to do some back ground checks on these judge’s on OSLIMA’S payroll!! But then the F.B.I.,is not what they used to be now are they?
F*****G OSLIMA AND HIS F*****G MUSLIM GOVERNMENT!!!
We can’t trust the government already, now they want to pull this shit??!! Little by little our freedoms are being taken away and people just blindly go about their lives like sheep. When are people going to stand up to our government and get them to do the right thing. Just the technology they are hiding can make energy free, but they don’t. Why? Too many rich people running this country. He is worrying about killing citizens but he won’t do anything about ISIS. Every other country is doing the fighting and has some people wondering, maybe he doesn’t want to hurt his own people so he is holding back? All I know is people are being killed and Obama won’t send any help. One thing I would like to know is why isn’t Hilary in jail yet?
Yep! So many questions and so few answers.
The Swede’s Have Said IT Correctly…. Officials in the Swiss county of Ticino voted Monday to make the Muslim burqa illegal in public spaces, with fines of up to $9,800 for violations.
The local government wanted the law to also include other forms of headwear that cover the face, including masks worn by demonstrators and soccer hooligans, but the parliament voted to only ban the burqas and niqabs (face veil). This means covering your face in public is legal, as long as you don’t do it with a burqa or niqab.
Giorgio Ghiringhelli, who drew up the proposal, said the result will send a message to “Islamist fundamentalists” in the country.
“Those who want to integrate are welcome irrespective of religion,” Ghiringhelli said. “But those who rebuff our values and aim to build a parallel society based on religious laws, and want to place it over our society, are not welcome.”