The House of Representatives approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill requiring the Attorney General to investigate leaks of information involving ‘the military, intelligence and operational capabilities of the United States and Israel.” -db From Secrecy News, May 21, 2012 by Steven Aftergood. Full story
A federal district judge ruled against a New York Times reporter’s request for a government secret interpretation of a section of the Patriot Act. The judge said releasing the interpretation would jeopardize national security by exposing intelligent sources and methods. -db From the Courthouse News Service, May 18, 2012, by Adam Klasfeld. Full story
A federal judge ruled that the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act signed last December most likely violate the First Amendment. The lawsuit against the government was brought by plaintiffs including journalists and activists who feared their expressive activities could find them in violation of vague provisions of the law.-db From a commentary for Salon.com, May 16, 2012, by Glenn Greenwald. Full story
President Barack Obama won a battle in federal court this week when the judge rejected a request from Judicial Watch to force the administration to release photos and video of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last year. The judge refused to overrule the CIA and Defense Department in its claim that the records would bring national security risks. -db From Reuters, April 26, 2012, by Jeremy Pelofsky and James Vicini. Full
Attorneys for Pfc. Bradley Manning, charged with espionage for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, are charging that the federal prosecutors are withholding documents needed for a defense. Manning’s attorneys say that they have been frustrated in their attempts to gain access to official “damage assessments” that provide details on the actual damages of the leaks to national security. -db From the Courthouse News Service, April 23, 2012, by Adam Klasfeld. Full story