Yesterday, the federal government moved for summary judgment on two related lawsuits brought by the New York Times and the ACLU, in which the plaintiffs’ sought to compel the release of documents responsive to Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests. The FOIA requests at issue sought documents related to the targeted killing of individuals suspected to be associated with al Qaida or other terrorist cells, including the targeting of U.S. citizens and the use of unmanned “drones” to carry out attacks. Both the Times and ACLU made requests in October 2011, after the death of Anwar Al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen who was accused of being an “operational” terrorist affiliated with al Qaida.
Continue Reading Government Moves for Summary Judgment on Times, ACLU FOIA Request Lawsuit