The Justice Dept. (DoJ) has been told by a federal judge to proce...
The Justice Dept. (DoJ) has been told by a federal judge to process and release documents on the Bush Administration’s warrantless surveillance program by March 8, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) said Thurs. The opinion in the Freedom…
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of Information Act (FOIA) case is the first on the spying scheme. President Bush “invited meaningful debate” on the National Security Agency (NSA) program that can occur only if DOJ processes EPIC requests in timely fashion and releases the material sought, U.S. Dist. Judge Henry Kennedy, D.C., wrote. Given media and political attention, “the public interest is particularly well-served by the timely release of the requested documents,” Kennedy said. The opinion came 6 days after Kennedy heard oral arguments on EPIC’s request for an emergency order requiring prompt DoJ document disclosure, the group said. “The court’s opinion vindicates the public’s right to know about an extremely invasive and potentially illegal government program,” EPIC Gen. Counsel David Sobel said: “The Administration has attempted to spin this story by controlling the flow of information, but the court has now rejected that strategy.” EPIC sent FOIA requests to 4 DoJ entities within hours of a N.Y. Times report on the program’s existence being reported. DoJ agreed the requests warrant priority treatment, but failed to meet FOIA’s usual 20 working day time limit, EPIC said. The ACLU saluted Kennedy’s move, with Exec. Dir. Anthony Romero calling it a “blow to the Bush administration’s illegal surveillance program.” The Senate Intelligence Committee should make a formal request for documents from the White House and DoJ on the NSA effort, the ACLU said Thurs., citing a pair of resolutions brought before the House Judiciary Committee on Wed. calling for information. ACLU Washington Legislative Office Dir. Caroline Fredrickson said the Senate “must demand accountability” of the Administration. Bush and his senior officials repeatedly have denied wrongdoing, insisting the NSA program is legal.