Judge to Review DOJ Legal Memos on Warrantless Wiretapping
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Justice Department to release legal memorandums on warrantless wiretapping.
Ruling in a lawsuit by civil liberties groups, U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy said he will review the documents to determine whether attorney-client privilege bars their release to the public, report the Associated Press and Reuters.
The Justice Department had argued the memos constituted legal advice to the White House, and the attorney-client privilege protects them in their entirety. Kennedy said that argument was too vague. “Without more information, the court cannot conclude that the attorney-client privilege applies,” his order said.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd told the wire services that the department was reviewing the opinion and would “respond appropriately in court.”
