Supreme Court asked to weigh in on detainee photos

[kpete]

Source: CNN

By Bill Mears
CNN Supreme Court Producer


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama administration is turning to the Supreme Court as it seeks to block public release of photos apparently depicting abuse of suspected terrorists and foreign soldiers in U.S. custody.
President Obama changed his stance on pictures said to show U.S. personnel abusing detainees.

President Obama changed his stance on pictures said to show U.S. personnel abusing detainees.

Justice Department lawyers late Thursday told a federal appeals court in New York -- the same one on which high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sits -- to hold off a ruling ordering release of the material, saying they plan to ask the justices to hear their case.

The government said it would proceed "absent intervening legislation" from Congress.

The "motion to recall" comes after President Obama ordered government lawyers this month to object to the court-ordered release of photos depicting the mistreatment of prisoners held in Iraq and Afghanistan, reversing an earlier White House decision. The Pentagon had been set to release hundreds of photos in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/29/scotus.detainee.photos/index.html

[PSPS]

1. U-bama yet again.

[rgbecker]

2. We know from another post that there are two groups of pics.....

One is a group of 44 pictures and the other is a group of more than 2000 pictures. My question is: Are all the pitures from Abu Ghraib or are some, as indicated by this post, from Afghanistan? thanks.

[L0oniX]

3. Open and transparent government ...gotta luv it.

[snowdays]

4. eeks--the Senate passed a law limiting these photos..............

I wonder what the vote was---Repugs voting with the WH on this one. damm



The ACLU -- which filed the initial lawsuit for disclosure -- has criticized the administration's about-face, saying it "makes a mockery" of Obama's campaign promise of greater transparency and accountability, and damages efforts to hold accountable those responsible for abusing prisoners.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September that the photos must be released. The president now says doing so "would pose an unacceptable risk of danger to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq." Sotomayor has served on that court since 1998 but was not involved in that particular appeal.

Last week, the Senate voted for the Detainee Photographic Records Protection Act, which would limit the reach of the Freedom of Information Act in this instance. The House could adopt a similar provision next month as part of an omnibus spending bill