Federal judge rules 72-hour notice required to ACLU in Iraq detainee transfer case News
Federal judge rules 72-hour notice required to ACLU in Iraq detainee transfer case

A federal judge ruled [opinion, PDF] Tuesday that the Department of Defense [official website] must give the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] 72 hours notice before transferring an American detained abroad in order to allow for a legal challenge before the transfer happens.

The ruling came from Judge Tanya Chutkan [official profile] in the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] in the case of John Doe v. General James Mattis, the US Secretary of Defense. In September a US citizen and detainee surrendered to Syrian Democratic Forces where he was transferred to the US Armed Forces and has held since, without charges or counsel.

Chutkan ruled in December [JURIST report] that the US must allow the ACLU access. Wednesday’s ruling takes this a step further, providing the military cannot detain the American in secret or without counsel as a violation of the citizens’ right to due process.

The court found that classified information provided by the Defense Department does not present “positive legal authority” for Petitioner’s transfer. “Neither does the Defense Department’s assertion that ‘international relations’ with the receiving country would be harmed should the court prohibit his transfer at this time.”

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.