Memos from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel Indicate Major Legal Errors

Several legal memorandums issued by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel point a number of major legal errors committed by Bush administration lawyers during the formulation of its early counterterrorism policies. 

Here are the memoranda (issued on March 2nd, 2009):

• Memorandum Regarding Status of Certain OLC Opinions Issued in the Aftermath of the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 (01-15-2009)
• Memorandum Regarding Constitutionality of Amending Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to Change the "Purpose" Standard for Searches (09-25-2001)
• Memorandum Regarding Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities within the United States (10-23-2001)
• Memorandum Regarding Authority of the President to Suspend Certain Provisions of the ABM Treaty (11-15-2001)
• Memorandum Regarding the President's Power as Commander in Chief to Transfer Captured Terrorists to the Control and Custody of Foreign Nations (03-13-2002)
• Memorandum Regarding Swift Justice Authorization Act (04-08-2002)
• Memorandum Regarding Determination of Enemy Belligerency and Military Detention (06-08-2002)
• Memorandum Regarding Applicability of 18 U.S.C. § 4001(a) to Military Detention of United States Citizens (06-27-2002)
• Memorandum Regarding October 23, 2001 OLC Opinion Addressing the Domestic Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities (10-06-2008)

See also LLB's earlier post. [RJ]