'Round up the usual suspects ... '
Posted on 05/18/2009 10:52:35 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The Supreme Court rules that former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller can't be sued by more than 700 Muslim men sent to maximum security prison in the wake of the 2001 attacks.
Reporting from Washington -- The Supreme Court today shielded two top former Bush administration officials from being sued by more than 700 Muslim men who say they were arrested, roughed up and locked in a maximum security prison after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
None of the men were charged as terrorists, although many of them pleaded guilty to violating immigration laws.
In today's 5-4 decision, the court said former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller cannot be held liable for singling out the Muslim men for mistreatment because of their race and religion.
The justices set a high bar for those who seek to sue top officials for constitutional violations in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
"It should come as no surprise that a legitimate policy directing law enforcement to arrest and detain individuals because of their suspected link to the [9/11] attacks would produce a disparate, incidental impact on Arab Muslims," said Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. "The Sept. 11 attacks were perpetrated by 19 Arab Muslim hijackers who counted themselves members in good standing of Al Qaeda, an Islamic fundamentalist group."
In the aftermath of the attacks on New York and Washington, the government was anxiously looking for agents of Al Qaeda who may have been hiding in the United States.
Kennedy and the court majority said it was reasonable for Ashcroft and Mueller to detain those "who were illegally present in the United States and who had potential connections to those who committed terrorist acts." This is not proof of "unconstitutional discrimination," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
open your windows and listen.....the high pitched screaming of the left can be heard...
The detainees were NOT mistreated.
HF
Illegal immigrants. There was an easy solution in front of our leaders’ eyes. They still refuse to ENFORCE THE LAW.
How many if any were legal citizens? How many if any were legal immigrants (including current on paperwork like travel/student visas)?
That’s RACIST!!
It would have been nice if the article had said.
In this 5 to 4 vote, are there any surprises on who voted which way????
I would guess the five were : A. Kennedy, Scalia, Alito, Roberts, and Thomas.
I would guess the four who thought these guys did have the right to sue gov’t officials were: Breyer, Ginsburg, Stevens, and Souter.
This could be a solid precedent with talk of suing Bush administration officials over alleged torture. This sets a high bar for lawsuits over officials performing their official duties.
Once Upon a Time
Campus Report | May 18, 2009 | Malcolm A. Kline
Posted on 05/18/2009 9:18:25 AM PDT by bs9021
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2253256/posts
I just thank the Lord that Kennedy held his ground on this one. However, it may show Obama that he should get the most liberal new jurist he can find to sit on the SC. Let’s just pray together that all the good guys on the SC live long and healthy lives.
Should have detained 700,000.
When all of this garbage of terrorists having rights started. You could go to the ACLU web page and they sounded JUST LIKE Obama. Crazy allegations... some were wanting to blame the U.S. for prior treatment in jails overseas. It is nuts. Obama is nuts.
Rev. Wright referred to 9/11 as America’s chickens coming home to roost. There is no doubt that O shared that hateful view.
Weren’t most—if not all—the 9/11 hijackers here with valid paperwork?
How do they sort up the good one from the bad one?
There are no "good" ones- only the quiet ones awaiting the opportunity.
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