Court Nixes Appeal on Sept. 11 Detentions

[DRoseDARs]

Hope I posted this correctly...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040113/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_detainee_names&cid=558&ncid=716

Supreme Court - AP

Court Nixes Appeal on Sept. 11 Detentions
1 hour, 42 minutes ago

By ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Monday it would not second-guess the government's policy of secrecy in holding hundreds of foreigners after the Sept. 11 attacks.


None of the more than 700 illegal immigrants was charged as a terrorist, and the Justice Department (news - web sites)'s inspector general concluded last year that the government had trampled on a law stipulating such detentions be limited to 90 days.


<snip>


The court's action, taken without comment, was a victory for the Bush administration. Civil liberties and media organizations had sought access to the names and other basic information about the detainees.

<snip>

"Until some other court says otherwise, the government can continue the policy of secret arrests that seems fundamentally inconsistent with basic American values, and that we know in this case led to a series of abuses," said Steven Shapiro, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites), which had urged the court to hear the case.


<snip>


The justices earlier had rejected several cases that raised more oblique questions about the government's response to the terror threat. One involved an issue similar to Monday's secrecy case. It asked whether the government could keep reporters and the public away from closed-door deportation hearings.


The case is Center for National Security Studies v. Justice Department, 03-472.

[WealthAndDemocracy]

1. Disappointing but no surprise

[indepat]

5. Certainly no surprise since the Chief Justice had already signaled

the court would not interfere.

[dudeness]

2. it is decisions such as this

that expediate the downward spiral into george orwells 1984 for all of us..

[alarimer]

3. yes

The courts are busy removing all of the Bill of Rights now. And they are our last resort. We need to get these assholes out of office so we can appoint some civil libertarians to the courts. It can't happen soon enough.

[DebJ]

4. This makes me feel almost paralized with fear