ACLU presses case to unseal Bush papers

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

The American Civil Liberties Union renewed its challenge Thursday against the Bush administration's filing of secret materials to a federal appeals court that will rule on its warrantless surveillance program.

The government has filed the papers with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the ACLU wants those documents unsealed.

The court is considering the administration's appeal of a Michigan federal judge's decision last year that the program was unconstitutional because it violated privacy and free speech rights and the separation of powers.

The government has said the case involves state secrets and disclosure would threaten national security. Under the program, the National Security Agency monitors international phone calls and e-mails to or from the United States in which one party is believed to be linked to terrorism.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070615/ap_on_re_us/domestic_spying_4

[Patsy Stone]

1. Let the sun shine in! n/t

[OnyxCollie]

2. Unseal the papers.

Let us see how truly ugly Bushco is.

[bonito]

3. K&R!

[rodeodance]

5. ok

[rodeodance]

4. Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's ruling

It would be completely improper — not to mention unprecedented — for important constitutional issues to be decided on the basis of secret arguments," Jameel Jaffer, lead ACLU attorney in the case, said in a statement.

The Justice Department argued to a three-judge panel here in January that U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's ruling last year was flawed and that the case was moot, because the program is now overseen by an independent panel of federal judges — the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Justice Department spokesman Andrew Ames said Thursday that the department had no comment about the latest ACLU motion to unseal materials.

The ACLU, which led the lawsuit for groups including lawyers, journalists and scholars, told the panel that the government might resume the warrantless program without a court order against it. The judges didn't indicate when they would rule.

[OnyxCollie]

6. The (updated) oversight by the FISA court is still unclear.

Whether warrants are issued for individuals, or if blanket warrants are issued to cover groups. It still leaves bushco a lot of room for their nefarious purposes.

[annabanana]

7. Proud card carrying member here. The little Constitution protecting

organization that could. . .