ACLU Sues for Material Authorizing Targeted Killings

The ACLU filed suit on Wednesday against the U.S. government in the Southern District of New York seeking the release of records related to the targeted killings of U.S. citizens overseas.  Recall that the New York Times and two reporters filed a similar suit in December 2011.

The ACLU lawsuit comes after the Departments of Justice and Defense and the CIA rejected or indefinitely delayed their responses to the group's FOIA request for the records.  The complaint alleges,

The press began reporting in early 2010 that Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen born in New Mexico, had been placed on CIA and JSOC "kill lists" that authorized his targeted killing.  In the fall of 2011, the media reported on the existence of a legal memorandum drafted by the OLC ("OLC memo") that provided a legal analysis to support al-Awlaki's killing.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of President Obama's YouTube interview in which he acknowledges and defends drone strikes.  Here's Al Jazeera's report on the interview:

 

SDS