Sam Sacks - page 47

Plaintiffs aiming to dismantle the NSA’s phone metadata dragnet added another complainant to their lawsuit—one who may hold the key to advancing their legal action. Conservative activist Larry Klayman on Tuesday filed documents adding a California criminal defense attorney, J.J. Little, as plaintiff in the suit, fulfilling a requirement laid out by an appellate court last month that stopped the litigation in its tracks. “He has litigated and continues to litigate against the Government on behalf of his clients,” Klayman stated of Little in the… Keep Reading

A US military official claimed on Friday that a crippling ambush on Pentagon-trained Syrian fighters in July actually showed that America is effectively protecting the moderate rebel force it supports. Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea, the chief of staff of the Combined Joint Task Force, made the remark during a press briefing with reporters, alleging that the July 31 assault showed how the US protected its first round of graduates from its Syrian train-and-equip program. . “If you’re asking me about the support that we give… Keep Reading

Technology used by police to track cell phones is being reined in by the Department of Justice—with exceptions, however, that a prominent Democratic Senator has taken notice of. The department policy was released on Thursday, outlining new precautions that law enforcement must take before deploying cell-site simulators—often known as “stingrays” or “dirtboxes.” Those include a warrant requirement based on probable cause and mandates regarding data retention. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), the ranking member on the Senate’s Judiciary Committee said in a statement Thursday afternoon that… Keep Reading

As Pentagon officials tour sites in the US in search for an alternative to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, skittish lawmakers are growing more defensive over their home turfs. This week, as scout teams for the Department of Defense prepared to visit the consolidated Naval Brig in Charleston, S.C., the state’s junior Senator announced he would be tagging along–and not to provide encouragement. “Sen. Scott will be attending parts of the tour and will be conveying his beliefs to the surveying team that Charleston is not… Keep Reading

Attorneys defending the National Security Agency’s bulk telephone metadata collection program appeared in a Washington courtroom on Wednesday, facing off once again with a judge who has already against them. District Judge Richard Leon had rejected an earlier bid by the Department of Justice to postpone Wednesday’s hearing, which was scheduled following a decision last Friday by a federal appeals court. The higher court had vacated Judge Leon’s 2013 ruling that the NSA’s dragnet had likely violated the constitutional rights of conservative activist Larry Klayman. The founder of Freedom… Keep Reading

Police claim they have a second video depicting last Friday’s killing of Gilbert Flores, who appeared to have his hands up when two officers opened fired on him. A Member of Congress is now urging its prompt release. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said on Tuesday that the “encounter is extremely disturbing as it appears to show an unarmed man with his hands up being shot by a deputy.” He later took to Twitter to call for transparency from the police. “I hope the Bexar County… Keep Reading