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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJohn 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 werent terrorism suspects.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/17/john-ashcroft-911-detainee-abuse-lawsuit
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)GGJohn
(9,951 posts)Betty Karlson
(7,231 posts)Let's hope for a full and speedy recovery.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)For TV watchers on DU keep your eyes and ears open today or tomorrow to see if they cover it.
PADemD
(4,482 posts)Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)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
PADemD
(4,482 posts)Thought NDTV was North Dakota TV, but it's New Delhi TV.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)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)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.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)learn to read.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)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)May they get what is get what is coming to them.
Assholes
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)progree
(10,951 posts)Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)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)....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)They just wanted to inflict some pain on them anyway because they weren't regular Merricans.