Published on May 17, 2012 by democracynow
DemocracyNow.org - In a rare move, a federal judge has struck down part of a controversial law signed by President Obama that gave the government the power to indefinitely detain anyone it considers a terrorism suspect anywhere in the world without charge or trial -- including U.S. citizens. Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York ruled the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act likely violates the First and Fifth Amendments of U.S. citizens. We speak with Chris Hedges, a journalist who filed the suit challenging the NDAA along with six others, and Bruce Afran, the group's attorney. "This is another window into the steady assault against civil liberties," Hedges says. "What makes [the ruling] so monumental is that finally, we have a federal judge who stands up for the rule of law."
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Homeland Battlefield: Congress still ok with indefinite detention and torture of Americans
Published on May 18, 2012 by RTAmerica
On Wednesday, activists and journalists across America rejoiced in a federal judge's ruling that the National Defense Authorization Act is unconstitutional. The judge sided with the plaintiffs when it came to section 1021 of the act, which allows for the military to indefinitely detain Americans at home and abroad without due process. But now Congress is seeking to create a new NDAA. On Friday, the US House of Representatives approved the 2013 NDAA and even shot down an amendment that would cancel the indefinite detention provisions. Carl Mayer, attorney for The Mayer Law Group representing the plaintiffs, joins us for more on the NDAA.