And FBI witnesses are paid off? That does a lot for their credibility.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/6/entrapment_or_foiling_terror_fbis_reliance

So now the government is redacting legal opinions to support their case for indefinite detention? What?!?!

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/13/a_tale_of_2_gitmo_opinions

US v Comstock

Indefinite detention after registered sex offenders serve term
What implications does this have for the war on terror? The analogy isn't perfect (here, ex-offenders would be held in "civil commitment" after serving their term, while terror suspects are held without a right to challenge their detention before trial).

Should Congress Go Paperless?

Should Congress Go Paperless?: "

Rep. Chris Lee [R, NY-26] and the 39 bipartisan co-sponsors of his recently introduced ‘STOP the OverPrinting Act’ think so.

Currently, when a bill is introduced into Congress, the Government Printing Office (GPO) automatically prints five copies of the entire text for the office of each co-sponsor. That means that for H.R. 3962, the House’s health care bill, which is 2,070 pages long and has 7 total sponsors, the GPO printed out a total of 72,450 pages. That’s 151 reams.

The STOP the Overprinting Act would only allow bills to be printed by the GPO if they are specifically requested by a member of Congress or a committee. According to Lee, ‘the Congressional Research Service estimates the potential cost savings of Lee’s legislation would be upwards of $2.2 million in 2010 alone.’ Every bill is already made available to members of Congress and the public on the internet. Sites like OpenCongress, Thomas and GovTrack post them, as does the GPO itself through their GPO Access website. For lawmakers who find paper copies of bills easier to read and digest, Lee’s bill would accommodate them.

Presumably, since this isn’t law yet, 5 copies of the ‘STOP the OverPrinting Act’ were printed up by the GPO and distributed to each of its 40 sponsors. But it’s a short bill — only 3 pages long — so it only amounted to 600 pages, or one and a quarter reams.

Image used under CC license from pawpaw67.

"

(Via Open Congress : Blog.)

uighur case dismissed

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/us/politics/02detain.html

The Torture Memo John Yoo Should Have Written

The Torture Memo John Yoo Should Have Written: "

On February 19, the Department of Justice released the long-awaited 261-page Report of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), which concluded, among other things, that in his legal memos on torture and Presidential power, John Yoo had 'committed intentional professional misconduct when he violated his duty to exercise independent legal judgment and render thorough, objective, and candid legal advice.' A senior Justice Department official, acknowledged that he had not reviewed all the documents available to the OPR, found that Yoo exercised 'poor

read more

"

(Via Truthout - Opinion.)

D.C. same-sex marriages allowed

D.C. same-sex marriages allowed: "

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., refused on Tuesday to block a District of Columbia court’s order that cleared the way for same-sex couples to get marriage licenses and wed in the capital city, beginning on Wednesday.  The Chief Justice, in denying an emergency stay filed by opponents of gay marriage, issued a three-page opinion, found here, explaining his action.   He acted in his role as Circuit Justice for the D.C. area; the issue was not referred to the full Court.

Even while saying a delay was not now legally justified, Roberts noted that the challengers may still try to undo the new D.C. marriage provision by attempting to put it on the ballot asking local voters to repeal the law.  That separate maneuver is now under review in the D.C. Court of Appeals, Washington’s highest local court.

"

(Via SCOTUSblog.)