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| Court to decide on Ashcroft's immunity | ||
| 2008-12-11 | ||
| Oooops. They spelled it wrong. A-S-H-K-K-K-R-O-F-T. That's better... The US Supreme Court will decide on whether cabinet-level officials will be immune from a lawsuit from war on terror victims. The nine Supreme Court justices are set to make a ruling by June 2009. Former attorney general John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller have sought immunity from the charges in a lawsuit filed by Javaid Iqbal, a Pakistani national. Iqbal was among more than 700 Muslim men from the New York City area rounded up after the September 11, 2001 attacks. While they were all eventually charged with immigration violations or minor crimes, none was linked to terrorism. Iqbal is suing Ashcroft and Mueller, amongst others, for targeting the men for investigation and punitive detention, sidestepping procedural protections usually granted to such detainees. Iqbal, who was held at a maximum security section of a Brooklyn federal prison, says he was subjected to harsh treatment and discrimination and that federal officials classified him as a "high interest" suspect because he was a Muslim from Pakistan. A June 2003 report by the Department of Justice inspector general found "significant problems" in the treatment of detainees like Iqbal. Iqbal's lawsuit says Ashcroft and Mueller approved the policy of holding post-September 11 detainees in solitary confinement. Lawyers for Ashcroft and Mueller say their clients have "qualified immunity" from this lawsuit and similar ones because they were not personally involved in the detainee mistreatment and did not know about Iqbal. Some critics have assailed Ashcroft over the Patriot Act, the legislation that broadened law enforcement powers after September 11, saying it did so at the expense of civil liberties.
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| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 This will be a good indicator for the Dems and their intentions to put everyone, read Repubs, on trial that they dont like.... |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2008-12-11 23:39 |
| #5 This will be a good test to see if we are going to sustain the war on our enemies. Technically, that would include the Anti-America neo-commie academia within our own borders. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-12-11 21:42 |
| #4 As I remember, the whole country, red and blue state alike, were freaked out and howling for blood after 9/11. This will be a good test to see if we are going to sustain the war on our enemies. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-12-11 14:40 |
| #3 While they were all eventually charged with immigration violations or minor crimes, none was linked to terrorism. And they got Al Capone on income tax evasion. If it's legit, it's legit. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-12-11 11:53 |
| #2 How come Ashcroft is in the cross-hairs? He held high offices as a Republican. To the media/legal/academic fifth column, that's sufficient reason. |
| Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2008-12-11 10:48 |
| #1 The 700 were here illegally. It took a while to process their cases, and in the meantime they were kept sequestered from legal society. If the Supreme Court rules against Mr. Ashcroft for attempting to enforce the laws of the country, I shall be severely disappointed. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-12-11 08:30 |