William Fisher

Alarmed by the George W. Bush administration’s increasing use of the so-called "state secrets privilege" to keep politically embarrassing lawsuits against the government from ever coming before a judge, Congress is stepping in to help ensure that people with grievances can have their cases heard. A new bill sponsored by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, a … Continue reading “Congress Seeks to Limit ‘State Secrets’ Privilege”

As the world marks the sixth anniversary of the arrival of the first orange-jumpsuit-clad prisoners at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, human rights groups are attempting to focus public and congressional scrutiny on what some are calling "the other Gitmo." It is a prison located on the U.S. military base in the … Continue reading “Afghan Prison Looks Like Another Guantanamo”

The US government’s spotty record in obtaining convictions of people charged with providing "material support" to terrorist organizations is adding new impetus to the efforts of prominent constitutional lawyers to seek substantial changes in the law. The latest failure in a terrorism-financing prosecution came late in 2007, when a Texas jury failed to render any … Continue reading “Terror Prosecutions Shed More Heat Than Light”

A former US Department of Justice (DOJ) ethics adviser has joined leading members of the US legal community in calling on Congress to investigate the destruction of tape recordings of interrogations carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Jesselyn Radack – who came to prominence as a whistleblower after she objected to the government’s … Continue reading “Legal Community Condemns Destruction of CIA Tapes”

As human right lawyers sought to block US government efforts to stop a lawsuit against a Boeing subsidiary accused of flying detainees to "black sites" where they were tortured, a legal advocacy group published the first testimony of a victim of the Central Intelligence Agency’s "enhanced interrogation" program. In the first-ever report of its kind, … Continue reading “‘Black Site’ Survivor Relates Horrific Tale”

As Karen Hughes, the close confidante of President George W. Bush, gives up her mission to improve the U.S. image abroad – amid decidedly mixed reviews of her performance – her replacement is already facing criticism for his support of the Iraq war and a number of alleged ethical lapses. Hughes, a key adviser to … Continue reading “Bush’s New Spin Master
a Lame Duck?”

In the aftermath of the Annapolis peace conference, foreign policy analysts and human rights advocates are finding considerable irony in Israel’s Arab neighbors pressing for freedom for Palestinians while their own citizens continue carry a heavy burden of unrelenting political repression. Most of those representing Middle East and North African nations at the Nov. 27 … Continue reading “Glaring Hypocrisy of Arab Annapolis Participants”

Civil libertarians are worried that a little-known anti-terrorism bill now making its way through the U.S. Congress with virtually no debate could be planting the seeds of another USA PATRIOT Act, which was hurriedly enacted into law after the al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, co-authored … Continue reading “Civil Libertarians Warn of ‘PATRIOT Act Lite’”

The George W. Bush administration’s legal justification for continuing to hold prisoners without charges at the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba will be back in the US Supreme Court – yet again – early next month. And the decision of the nine justices could bring the entire administration’s detention policy down in flames … Continue reading “Gitmo Policy Faces Another Supreme Court Test”

As a shortage of experienced diplomats in Iraq has led the US State Department to announce that it will force Foreign Service officers to serve in Baghdad against their will, the leader of the US diplomatic service is charging that critics, "including people who urged the 2003 invasion," are now seeking to blame the department … Continue reading “State Dept. Drafts the Not So Willing for Iraq”