On December 7, 2010, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the ability of President Barack Obama's administration to conduct "targeted killings," such as unmanned drone attacks. The case concerned American citizen and Al-Queda cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed the lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia; Judge John Bates ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction, and that the plaintiff, al-Awlaqi's father, lacked standing. The cleric was linked to the Ft. Hood shooting in 2009 and Christmas Day airplane bombing attempt, and an unmanned drone attack killed al-Awlaqi in Yemen on September 30, 2011.

Learn more about targeted killings from the JURIST news archive.

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