Political and Legislative
The Supreme Court Battles the FBI’s Bid to Fend Off a Post-9/11 Lawsuit
The Supreme Court grappled on Monday with the U.S. government’s effort to fend off a lawsuit brought against the FBI over a controversial post-9/11 surveillance operation that targeted a Muslim community in California.
At issue was how courts should handle the government’s assertion of the state secrets privilege, a legal doctrine allowing certain information to be concealed if its disclosure would harm national security.
Several justices appeared to search for a narrow path that might permit the plaintiffs, three Muslim men who were targets of the operation, to pursue their claims against the FBI, while allowing the Supreme Court to defer some of the thornier questions about the scope of the government’s privilege.
