Terrorism

Court Mulls Release of Wiretap Rulings

A court that secretly decides government wiretap requests in terrorism cases is considering a motion to release its recent classified rulings limiting certain kinds of government surveillance. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court released an order on Friday saying it would consider the request, the New York Times reports. One report…

Aug 20, 2007 10:51 AM CDT

Wiretap Law Gives Broad Power

Lawmakers may have given the government more authority to search Americans than they realized when they quickly passed a terrorism wiretap law before the end of the congressional session. Some experts told the New York Times the new law may give the government power in certain situations to seize Americans’…

Aug 19, 2007 8:34 PM CDT

NJ Lawyer Hits Terror Funding

New Jersey lawyer Gary Osen is on a mission to fight terrorists by cutting off their bankroll. In one suit, he represents 55 plaintiffs who claim Arab Bank channeled money from Saudi Arabia to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, the New York Times reports in a profile. In another,…

Aug 17, 2007 1:45 PM CDT

Padilla a ‘Small Pawn,’ Juror Says

One of the jurors who voted to convict Jose Padilla on terrorism charges says the former gang member was “just a small pawn.” “He was guilty–believe me,” the juror told the Miami Herald. “But there were much bigger people involved.” Padilla and two co-defendants were convicted of all charges yesterday…

Aug 17, 2007 1:20 PM CDT

FBI Director’s Notes Enhance Testimony

Notes turned over to the House Judiciary Committee by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III reportedly describe former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft as “barely articulate,” “feeble” and “clearly stressed” during a now-infamous March 2004 encounter with top White House aides. Nonetheless, the aides, including then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales…

Aug 16, 2007 11:49 PM CDT

Verdict: Padilla is Guilty, Faces Life in Prison

Updated: In a verdict today in a controversial American anti-terrorism trial, Jose Padilla and two co-defendants have been found guilty on all charges. Following a three-month trial and not quite two days of deliberation, a seven-man, five-woman federal court jury in Miami found the three guilty today, reports CNN. The…

Aug 16, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

State Secrets Weighed in Wiretap Case

Three judges appeared skeptical of government arguments yesterday in an appeal of two consolidated cases challenging terrorism surveillance tactics. All three indicated they were inclined to allow the case to proceed, at least on a limited basis, the New York Times reports. However, the Recorder says the judges were more…

Aug 16, 2007 11:06 AM CDT

Top Va. Tech Payment: $180k Per Death

Settlement amounts were announced today in a plan to compensate victims of the April massacre at Virginia Tech and their estates. Families of the 32 students and faculty shot to death by a troubled student will each be offered $180,000 under the plan, which is funded by donations, according to…

Aug 15, 2007 9:53 PM CDT

Secret-Case Strategy: Guess US Argument

In 27 years of practice, Jon Eisenberg has never had a more difficult case than Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. George W. Bush. One reason why is the extraordinary secrecy imposed on the litigation process because of terrorism-related national security concerns. When it came time to file one brief in his…

Aug 15, 2007 3:12 PM CDT

Padilla Case Goes to Jury

Jurors begin deliberations today in the trial of Jose Padilla, accused of a terrorist plot to murder and maim people overseas. In closing arguments yesterday, Padilla’s lawyer said his client traveled to Egypt to study Islam rather than to join a terrorist cell, the Miami Herald reports. Public defender Michael…

Aug 15, 2007 1:50 PM CDT

Liberia Declares War on Rape

Throughout Africa, rape reportedly has been used as a weapon of civil war in many countries by militiamen, rebels and government armies. The crime has rarely been punished, even when children are the victims. But that is changing in Liberia, whose female president publicly says she herself was the victim…

Aug 14, 2007 6:13 PM CDT

Padilla Called ‘Star Recruit’

In closing arguments in a Miami courtroom yesterday, a federal prosecutor called Jose Padilla the “star recruit” of a terrorism support cell that included his two co-defendants. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Frazier focused on a form that Padilla filled out to attend a terrorism training camp sponsored by al-Qaida, the…

Aug 14, 2007 12:31 PM CDT

Secrecy Shrouds Wiretap Case

A pending appeal in a wiretaps case is so secret that the lawyer for the plaintiffs wasn’t permitted to see the government’s full brief and had to write his own arguments under the watchful eye of a Justice Department security officer. Lawyer Jon B. Eisenberg says the government inadvertently disclosed…

Aug 13, 2007 2:52 PM CDT

ABA Prez Calls for FISA Changes

ABA President Karen Mathis on Friday urged Congress to reconsider changes it made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. President George W. Bush signed a bill on Sunday that gives the National Security Agency broader authority under FISA to monitor phone calls, e-mails and other communications between people in the…

Aug 11, 2007 12:24 AM CDT

Nat’l Security Panel: Constitution is Key

Paying attention to the U.S. Constitution and involving Congress in setting American policy on anti-terrorism measures isn’t just the right thing to do, legally. It’s also the best way to ensure an effective national security program, according to a panel discussion today at the ABA Annual Meeting. From conducting warrantless…

Aug 10, 2007 8:52 PM CDT