Justice Department refuses request for legal opinion concerning FBI surveillance
November 15, 2011 by donal brown
Filed under 1st Amendment News, Federal FOIA, National Security, News & Opinion
The Justice Department has refused a request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for an important legal opinon on the use of “exigent letters,” a method of requesting information that includes telephone company records. In refusing to disclose the legal opinion, the DOJ cited national security concerns. -db From Politico, November 11, 2011, by Josh Gerstein. [...]
Critics want state deputy attorney to drop plans for teaching course with author of torture memos
December 17, 2009 by donal brown
Filed under 1st Amendment News, Freedom of Speech / Press, News & Opinion
Critics of John Woo who wrote memos for the Bush administration justifying torture are pressuring a California deputy attorney general to drop plans to teach a constitutional law class at UC Berkeley with Woo. They say that teaching the class with Woo would “legitimize his [Woo's] illegal and unethical actions.” -DB San Francisco Chronicle December [...]
ACLU obtains document detailing CIA torture program
August 25, 2009 by donal brown
Filed under 1st Amendment News, Federal FOIA, News & Opinion
In response to an ACLU Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the government turned over documents describing the interrogation techniques used by the CIA as late as 2007. -DB American Civil Liberties Union Press Release August 24, 2009 NEW YORK – The government today handed over to the American Civil Liberties Union a detailed official description of [...]









