Karen Greenberg
Leaked White House memo provides legal rationale for drone strikes on U.S. citizens
A memo obtained by NBC News explains the legal rationale for the drone strike that killed an American citizen. But one critic says this memo, by expanding the definition of what constitutes an imminent threat to U.S. national security, this memo is distinctly different from the legal justification for torture.
Don’t Mention It: Patriot Act
Ahead of the 2008 election, the Patriot Act was a major campaign issue. “I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom,” then-Senator Obama said in 2007. “That means no more illegal wiretapping of American citizens, […]
Eric Holder: US Can Target Citizens Overseas
Attorney General Eric Holder outlined the United States’ legal defense of using lethal force against U.S. citizens overseas if that citizen is posing a terrorist threat. Holder’s speech, delivered Monday afternoon at Northwestern University, argued in part that the U.S. Constitution’s definition of due process defends the use of lethal force, even without the written consent […]
Guantanamo detainees to be tried in military courts
According to a New York Times, the Obama administration is planning to prosecute Guantanamo detainees in military commission trials. This follows decisions by Congress to prevent these prisoners from being brought to the U.S. and tried in federal courts.