No change on rendition suit
Ben Smith's Blog — ... ABC reports that the Obama administration is maintaining the government's stance that a lawsuit filed by alleged victims of rendition against a private aviation company that allegedly supplied the jets should be dismissed on national security grounds. ...

Black Hole
Talking Points Memo — Obama reaffirms Bush stance on state secrets privilege. ...

‘Extraordinary Rendition’: Before 11-04-08 - Obama Disagreed With Bush … After 1-20-09 - Obama Agrees With Bush
Pat Dollard | Young Americans — ABC News: Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on ‘Extraordinary Rendition’ Lawsuit From Jake Tapper and Ariane de Vogue: The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. The case involves five men who claim to have been victims of extraordinary rendition — including current Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, another plaintiff in jail in Egypt, one in jail in Morocco, and two now ...

Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on 'Extraordinary Rendition' Lawsuit
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News — ... of the Ninth U.S. District Court tells ABC News that a representative of the Justice Department stood up to say that its position hasn't changed, that new administration stands behind arguments that previous administration made, with no ambiguity at all. The DOJ lawyer said the entire subject matter remains a state secret. This is not going to please civil libertarians and human rights activists who had hoped the Obama administration would allow the lawsuit to proceed. Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/obama-a... The ACLU says the Obama administration ...

Obama DoJ Asserts "State Secrets;" ACLU Blasts Obama
The Atlantic Politics Channel — ... brough by five men who say they were unlawfully rendered to torturing countries was dismissed by a judge who agreed with the Bush Administration's claim of a state secrets privilege. Civil rights activists had hoped that the Obama Administration would somehow change its mind at appeal, and argue the case on its merits in open court. That's not going to happen. Today, the Justice Department -- the Eric Holder / Obama Justice Department -- re-asserted the state secrets privilege in Mohamed et al. v. Jeppesen. This may be disappointing to civil libertarians, but ...

Obama DOJ affirms Bush’s state secrets position in extraordinary rendition lawsuit.
Think Progress — In federal court today, the Obama administration signaled it would uphold the Bush administration’s state secrets position in a lawsuit regarding Bush’s use of extraordinary rendition. Five men who say they were victims of extraordinary rendition — including current Guantanamo detainee and torture victim Binyam Mohamed — sued, but the case was thrown out last year after Bush declared it to be a matter of state secrets. In an appeal today, the new administration took the same position: A source inside of the Ninth U.S. ...

The Binyam Mohamed Case
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan — ... The Obama administration will continue the cover-up of the alleged torture of the British resident. The argument is that revealing the extent of the man's torture and abuse would reveal state secrets. No shit. This is a depressing sign that the Obama administration will protect the Bush-Cheney torture regime from the light of day. And with each decision to cover for their predecessors, the Obamaites become retroactively complicit in them. ...

You Can Forget Prosecutions For Torture Orders Now
Newshoggers.com — ... Morocco, both countries known to practise torture, after being sent there by the US and the other two are free after being held for years. Last year, the case went nowhere because the Bush administration invoked a special defense of state secrets, as it always did to prevent any cases brought by victims of illegal rendition and torture from even getting to word one. But the ACLU had filed an appeal which was held today. The Obama administration announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration: A source inside of the ...

Change. Hope. Torture Cover-Ups.
Ace of Spades HQ — Change. Hope. Torture Cover-Ups. Obama continues the Bush Administration policy The Bush Administration invoked the State Secrets Privilege to refuse providing information to those suing third-parties for their roles in extraordinary renditions. And Obama concurs. The case involves five men who claim to have been victims of extraordinary rendition -- including current Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, another plaintiff in jail in Egypt, one in jail in Morocco, and two now free. They sued a San Jose Boeing subsidiary, Jeppesen Dataplan, accusing the flight-planning company ...

DoJ Continues to Assert State Secrets Defense in Rendition Case:
The Volokh Conspiracy — ABC News is reporting : The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. The case involves five men who claim to have been victims of extraordinary rendition -- including current Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, another plaintiff in jail in Egypt, one in jail in Morocco, and two now free. They sued a San Jose Boeing subsidiary, Jeppesen Dataplan, accusing the flight-planning company of aiding the CIA in flying them to other countries and secret CIA camps where they ...

Obama Echoes Bush on Rendition Case
Suburban Guerrilla — How inspiring: The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. The case involves five men who claim to have been victims of extraordinary rendition — including current Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, another plaintiff in jail in Egypt, one in jail in Morocco, and two now free. They sued a San Jose Boeing subsidiary, Jeppesen Dataplan, accusing the flight-planning company of aiding the CIA in flying them to other countries and ...

No change on renditions
Hot Air » Top Picks — ... et al v Jeppesen Dataplan Inc would give him his best opportunity.  The plaintiffs sued the Boeing subsidiary for transporting them back to their home countries, and the Ninth Circuit just began hearing the appeal of a dismissal in federal district court on national security grounds.  With a venue as sympathetic as the most-overturned appellate court in the nation, one would expect the Obama administration to use that forum for an about-face on Bush administration rendition policies. Surprise : The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as ...

Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on 'Extraordinary Rendition' Law Suit
The New Editor — ABC News' Jake Tapper and Arian de Vogue report that the Obama Justice Dept. has not changed the Bush Administration's position on five men who claim to have been victims of 'extraordinary rendition.'

You Can Forget Prosecutions For Torture Orders Now
Crooks and Liars — ... Morocco, both countries known to practise torture, after being sent there by the US and the other two are free after being held for years. Last year, the case went nowhere because the Bush administration invoked a special defense of state secrets, as it always did to prevent any cases brought by victims of illegal rendition and torture from even getting to word one. But the ACLU had filed an appeal which was held today. The Obama administration announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration: A source inside of the ...

Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on 'Extraordinary Rendition' Lawsuit
The New Editor — ABC News' Jake Tapper and Ariane de Vogue report that the Obama Justice Dept. has not changed the Bush Administration's position on five men who claim to have been victims of 'extraordinary rendition.' ...

Jake Tapper
Sister Toldjah — Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on ‘Extraordinary Rendition’ Lawsuit

Is This What They Meant By Bush’s 3rd Term?
Pirate's Cove — Bush 1 - HopeNchange 0 The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. Um, oops? And what does Excitable Andy have to say? The Obama administration will continue the cover-up of the alleged torture of the British resident. The argument is that revealing the extent of the man’s torture and abuse would reveal state secrets. No shit. This is a depressing sign that the ...

Obama Administration Preserves Bush Justice Department Defense in Rendition Case
Politics Daily — ... The case at issue was thrown out of court last year after the Bush Administration invoked the state secrets privilege, a legal argument that prevents potentially sensitive national securty information from being aired in open court. The ACLU brought an appeal of the case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which the Obama Administration has picked up. Yesterday, a Justice Department lawyer representing the government told the court that the Justice Department would renew the Bush Administration's use of the state secrets privilege, a move that angered the ACLU and will ...

Obama to CONTINUE Renditions of Terrorists to Torture Countries
Flopping Aces — ... vigorously going after terrorists that can do us harm. …but in reality, he’s gonna continue the same policy that Bush, Clinton, and other Presidents have done (yes Clinton…Obama’s CIA Chief Leon Panetta admitted in confirmation hearings last week that he directly helped to organize 60-80 renditions during the Clinton years.) The ACLU says the Obama administration reneged on civil liberties, offers “more of the same.” Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU said of the ...

Obama DOJ affirms Bush?s state secrets position in extraordinary rendition lawsuit.
The Hollywood Liberal — ... . In an appeal today, the new administration took the same position : A source inside of the Ninth U.S. District Court tells ABC News that a representative of the Justice Department stood up to say that its position hasn’t changed, that new administration stands behind arguments that previous administration made, with no ambiguity at all. The DOJ lawyer said the entire subject matter remains a state secret. Last Wednesday, Britain’s High Court of Justice revealed that the ...

2/10: Stimulate This
Blogometer — ... 's Andrew Sullivan : "The Obama administration will continue the cover-up of the alleged torture of the British resident [ Binyam Mohamed ]. The argument is that revealing the extent of the man's torture and abuse would reveal state secrets. No shit. This is a depressing sign that the Obama administration will protect the Bush-Cheney torture regime from the light of day. And with each decision to cover for their predecessors, the Obamaites become retroactively complicit in them." Meanwhile, ...

Leahy Calls for Investigation of Bush Admin
The Democratic Daily — ... that they will given the fact that the Obama administration announced yesterday that “it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc..” ...

Obama Administration Position on State Secret Issue: Exactly the Same as the Bush Administration Position
Patterico's Pontifications — ... Jake Tapper reports that the Obama administration has advanced the same position as the Bush administration on an issue of state secrets: ...

Bipartisan Nazi Name-calling
Newshoggers.com — ... of the senior players in both his administrations. I've argued that the Bush administration's obsession with state secrecy and demands that state security and prersidential privilege trumped all other considerations were soft-totalitarianism too. So what am I to do when the Obama administration continues indiscriminate airstrikes which kill innocent civilians, look towards an escalation in Afghanistan which military officers say means a generational occupation, or defends Bush's blanket state secrets defense in torture cases because they are protecting ...

Obama’s Iran policy vague as internal admin departments fight for policy control
Flopping Aces — ... us of “change”. Or perhaps that change is primarily going to be driving the US domestic economy into the ground. So until a Campaign-in-Chief can make up his mind, I suspect we will be seeing Obama continue to embrace the Bush foreign policy… as in the Afghanistan detainees, his continuation (if not stepped up) of military action in Pakistan using the Bush drone/Predatory tactics, and assuming the Bush legal stance on the “extraordinary rendition lawsuit” in California - (as reported by our own ...

ChangeWatch
Stones Cry Out — It’s been a few weeks since we had one of these, and boy are things changing…or not. "Extraordinary Rendition"?  Keeping the Bush administration policy. Holding "enemy combatants" without trial?  Obama’s nominee for Solicitor General, Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan, says yes we can!  (And Obama & Holder second that motion.) Make Guantanamo Geneva-Convention-compliant?  It already is. Wiretapping international calls related to terrorists?  The Obama administration ...

Appeals Court Rejects Obama Administration's State Secrets Claim in Extraordinary Rendition Case
Politics Daily — ... In February, civil libertarians were shocked when the The Obama Administration argued the same position as the Bush Administration in the case of Mohamed et al v. Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. The five men who brought the suit claim to have been victims of extraordinary rendition. At the time, Bush administration attorneys managed to get the case was thrown out, claiming national security concerns. ...

Obama: If We Pretend It Didn't Happen, Maybe They'll Hate Us Less
Lawyers, Guns and Money — ... It was bad enough that he failed to decisively end Bush's extraordinary rendition program (claiming he'll only make sure it's no longer abused); and that he ...

SIBEL EDMONDS: Two Sides of the Same Coin: Heads-Heads
The BRAD BLOG — ... Today he and his administration unapologetically maintain the same Bush Administration position on extraordinary rendition, torture, and related secrecy to cover up. Here is Ben Wizner's, the attorney who argued the case for the ACLU, response "We are shocked and deeply disappointed that the Justice Department has chosen to continue the Bush administration's practice of dodging judicial scrutiny of extraordinary rendition and torture. This was an opportunity for the new administration to act on its condemnation of torture and rendition, but instead it has chosen to stay the ...