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Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 02:03 AM Jun 2015

John Ashcroft and Top officials charged with violating constitution with 9/11 detainee abuse

A US appeals court on Wednesday reinstated a claim against former attorney general John Ashcroft and other justice department officials, stemming from the abuse of Arab and Muslim men and others detained for months in New York and New Jersey after the September 11 attacks.

The unusual decision cleared the way for once-anonymous plaintiffs to advance charges that the top officials in the justice department had violated their constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law. The suit seeks class-action status for all detainees similarly abused.

A lower court had found that Ashcroft and his co-defendants, former FBI director Robert Mueller and former INS commissioner James Ziglar, had not been sufficiently linked to the abuse of detainees to support the plaintiffs’ claims.

In its reversal of that decision, the US court of appeals for the second circuit asserted that the justice department officials had put policies into place that were conducive to the abuse, that they knew the abuse was happening and that they knew the detainees weren’t terrorism suspects.



http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/17/john-ashcroft-911-detainee-abuse-lawsuit
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John Ashcroft and Top officials charged with violating constitution with 9/11 detainee abuse (Original Post) Ichingcarpenter Jun 2015 OP
Amen BrotherIvan Jun 2015 #1
Good for the 2nd Circuit. eom. GGJohn Jun 2015 #2
I see the rule of law is no longer comatose then. Betty Karlson Jun 2015 #3
Betcha this news is not covered by TVnews either Ichingcarpenter Jun 2015 #4
Some stations are already covering the story. PADemD Jun 2015 #11
Not true ...... they are all foreign news sources not one US TV news Ichingcarpenter Jun 2015 #12
Oops PADemD Jun 2015 #13
thanks for the link anyway Ichingcarpenter Jun 2015 #15
Such drama jberryhill Jun 2015 #16
NY times is not TV news get your rebuttals straight Ichingcarpenter Jun 2015 #17
Grumpy today? jberryhill Jun 2015 #18
To bad for John Ashcroft, Robert Mueller, and James Ziglar mrdmk Jun 2015 #5
"...they knew the detainees weren’t terrorism suspects" Spitfire of ATJ Jun 2015 #6
Wow! (K&R). nm progree Jun 2015 #7
That's a good start. Unknown Beatle Jun 2015 #8
If they can get that Yoo character who wrote the justification for torture and now teaches Law.... Hekate Jun 2015 #9
"they knew the detainees weren’t terrorism suspects." Enthusiast Jun 2015 #10
that's pretty much it alrite Ligyron Jun 2015 #14

Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
4. Betcha this news is not covered by TVnews either
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 02:35 AM
Jun 2015

For TV watchers on DU keep your eyes and ears open today or tomorrow to see if they cover it.

Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
12. Not true ...... they are all foreign news sources not one US TV news
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 07:48 AM
Jun 2015

on the front page but it is interesting that foreign news services are picking up on it first even though its US news

Thanks for the google search and link but like I said..... TV news

Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
15. thanks for the link anyway
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 08:04 AM
Jun 2015

Because of what it revealed of the news media not thinking its important.

. I think this news is of major significance because of the further implications and litigation against these war and constitutional criminals will bring even more truth to bear on the crimes they have committed against this country and the world.

 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
16. Such drama
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 09:12 AM
Jun 2015

New York Times is not a foreign source:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/us/immigrants-suit-over-detention-after-9-11-is-revived.html?referrer=

But the officials are no more "charged" than the day the suit was filed. The headline makes it seem as if this is a criminal case.

The 2nd Circuit reversed the district court ruling on a motion to dismiss. The defendants will move for en banc consideration in the 2nd Circuit, and then appeal to the Supreme Court.

It's a significant ruling, but TV news is usually not very good at explaining the procedural significance of an intermediate appellate court ruling in a civil case, since the upshot is kind of like Groundhog Day - at least X more months of litigation. It will, however, increase the settlement value of the case. Several plaintiffs settled out at $1.25 million, and that's looking a lot more like a floor than a ceiling at this point. Nice chunk of change there.
 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
18. Grumpy today?
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 09:40 AM
Jun 2015

First off, I gather conversation in general is unwelcome these days.

Secondly, it's not a "rebuttal", but an observation that TV news doesn't devote a lot of coverage in general to procedural rulings in civil suits. It's early in the day. This "media is suppressing the story" kind of thing is so tired.

Third, I guess I misunderstood the point you were making about "foreign sources" versus US television. Your link was to the Guardian which I guess I assumed wasn't a foreign TV station. Is this all over television elsewhere?

This is a ruling from an intermediate appellate court in a civil case that came out late yesterday. It's on the Reuters news service, and thus will be in a number of US news outlets today. Whether it gets a mention on any television news program is an open question, since the day just started. But this is the second time this case has been up at the 2nd Circuit, and civil litigation has a number of twists and turns that don't make for an engaging television presentation with each procedural turn of the screw.

Incidentally, I learned to read quite a few weeks ago, and it would be good if people who used the word 'charged' in connection with a civil claim would learn to write.

Further on edit: here's the ruling:

http://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/06/Turkmen%20v.%20Ashcroft%20Second%20Circuit%20Ruling%206-17-15.pdf

The Guardian doesn't even give the name of the case for the interested reader.

mrdmk

(2,943 posts)
5. To bad for John Ashcroft, Robert Mueller, and James Ziglar
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 02:38 AM
Jun 2015

May they get what is get what is coming to them.

Assholes

Unknown Beatle

(2,672 posts)
8. That's a good start.
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 03:43 AM
Jun 2015

Now the main players that started the Iraq war need to be charged for war crimes and crimes against humanity. You know, the usual suspects from McMonkey's administration.

Hekate

(91,047 posts)
9. If they can get that Yoo character who wrote the justification for torture and now teaches Law....
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 03:43 AM
Jun 2015

....at UC Berkeley, I will rejoice. I have a mental list of all those godless soulless misbegotten bastards. Alberto Gonzales is up there.

I would like to see their lives made Hell for the evil they did, for the rot they introduced into our Constitution and government.

Enthusiast

(50,983 posts)
10. "they knew the detainees weren’t terrorism suspects."
Thu Jun 18, 2015, 04:46 AM
Jun 2015

They just wanted to inflict some pain on them anyway because they weren't regular Merricans.

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