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Daily Archives: February 14, 2006

FOIA Lawsuit Reveals DOJ Can Release Legal Memos on Domestic Surveillance In March

National Security Archives press release: “Under pressure from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the Justice Department on February 10 conceded in federal court that it could begin releasing as early as March 3 the internal legal memos relied on by the Bush administration in setting up the controversial National Security Agency warrantless wiretapping program. The National Security Archive, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”), this week joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Justice seeking to compel the immediate disclosure of the internal legal justifications for the surveillance program. The filing this week by the Archive and the ACLU was consolidated with a suit filed on January 19, 2006, by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (“EPIC”) that requested the federal court in Washington to issue a preliminary injunction requiring the release of relevant documents within 20 days-which Judge Henry H. Kennedy, Jr. considered at a formal hearing today.”

  • Postings on domestic surveillance
  • Hearing Today on National Security Whistleblowers in the post-9/11 Era

    House Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations — hearing on National Security Whistleblowers in the post-9/11 Era: Lost in a Labyrinth and Facing Subtle Retaliation, February 14, 2006. Hearing Advisory, National Security Subcommittee Briefing Memo (78 pages, PDF) Opening Statement of Chairman Shays: “Whistleblowers in critical national security… Continue Reading

    Objectivity of CRS Reports on Domestic Surveillance Issues Challenged

    There have been several recent congressional communications and related articles addressing whether or not authors of CRS reports on issues pertaining to domestic surveillance have demonstrated bias in their research. Links to relevant documents are in chronological order, as follows: Letter from Congressman Peter Hoekstra, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to… Continue Reading

    EPA Libraries And Unique E-Catalog Threatened by Budget Cutbacks

    Press release: “Under President Bush’s proposed budget, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is slated to shut down its network of libraries that serve its own scientists as well as the public, according to internal agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In addition to the libraries, the agency will pull the… Continue Reading

    USTR to Strengthen Enforcement in Readjustment of U.S.-China Trade Policy

    Press release: “Today, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman unveiled the results of a top-to-bottom review of U.S.-China Trade Policy at a news conference. The report, U.S. – China Trade Relations: Entering a New Phase of Greater Accountability and Enforcement (29 pages, PDF), is the first comprehensive statement of U.S. trade policy towards China since it… Continue Reading

    ABA Task Force on Domestic Surveillance in the Fight Against Terrorism

    Follow up to February 10, 2006 posting, Survey on Spy Program Reflects Public Concern With Constitutional Freedoms, this news today from the ABA Task Force on Domestic Surveillance in the Fight Against Terrorism: Letter to President Bush and New ABA Policy on Domestic Surveillance (1 page, PDF) Report of ABA Task Force on Domestic Surveillance… Continue Reading

    State Dept. Establishes Task Force on Global Internet Freedom

    Following up on recent postings: Yahoo Issues Statement on Chinese Net Censorship, Net Censorship Abroad – Free Speech Colides With E-commerce? and Hearing Focuses on Internet Censorship in China, related news today via this State Dept. press release – statement of Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Josette Shiner: “I’m pleased… Continue Reading