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Court says Murtha can't be sued
Politico.com ^ | 04/14/09 | JOHN BRESNAHAN

Posted on 04/14/2009 11:41:40 AM PDT by Big_Monkey

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) cannot be sued for defamation or slander stemming from comments he made regarding the death of Iraqi civilians in Haditha in November 2005.

A Marine involved in that incident, Sgt. Frank Wuterich, sued Murtha for libel and defamation after the lawmaker said the civilian deaths were “cold-blooded murder and war crimes'' in several public appearances.

Wuterich wanted to depose Murtha, and a federal judge initially backed Wuterich.

But the Bush Justice Department sided with Murtha, arguing that Murtha was acting within his official duties as a congressman when he made the Haditha comments and thus couldn’t be sued under the Federal Tort Claims Act. That legislation protects government officials from legal action over official duties.

The Justice Dept. appealed the lower court ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and that court sided with Murtha and the Justice Department Tuesday.

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: marines; murtha; slander
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To: mware

Awesome! I would be proud to have you teach my child.


21 posted on 04/14/2009 12:16:29 PM PDT by gibsosa
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To: mware

Yeah, and I got tenure. They can’t touch me.


22 posted on 04/14/2009 12:21:26 PM PDT by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free. Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: null and void

The Imperial Congress Elite


23 posted on 04/14/2009 12:23:20 PM PDT by DeLaine (the POTUS needs to born in the USA. 0bama has no idea whose side heÂ’s on. We are under occupation.)
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To: Big_Monkey
You silly backwoods extremist - Nobody can take a Democrat to court because they KNOW what is good for you. You on the other hand are just a no nothing hick.
24 posted on 04/14/2009 12:28:24 PM PDT by jongaltsr (Hope to See ya in Galt's Gulch.)
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To: Wpin
When the court system no longer provides justice there is no law, there is only dictatorship...

Never confuse the legal system with a system of justice - - you will be disappointed every time.

25 posted on 04/14/2009 1:12:33 PM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: Big_Monkey

Government acting to protect it’s own. The revolution is here folks. It’s just a matter of time.


26 posted on 04/14/2009 1:50:55 PM PDT by vpintheak (Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. Prov. 25:26)
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To: Big_Monkey

He can lie as much as he wants and we protect him.

I wonder how many deaths of our brave boys occurred due to his vicious statements made against them?


27 posted on 04/14/2009 1:58:16 PM PDT by bestintxas (It's great in Texas)
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To: Big_Monkey

Sued?
Murtha should be horse whipped.


28 posted on 04/14/2009 2:49:27 PM PDT by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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