NDAA's Indefinate Detention Provision Blocked by Judge

The National Defense Authorization Act was a great disappointment to civil libertarians.  However, they must take heart in this news:

Judge Rules Against Law on Indefinite Detention

From the NY Times article:

...the debate over the balance between national security and civil liberties is still unfolding 11 years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

In the detention case, Judge Katherine B. Forrest of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a permanent injunction barring the government from relying on the defense authorization law to hold people in indefinite military detention on suspicion that they “substantially supported” Al Qaeda or its allies — at least if they had no connection to the Sept. 11 attacks.

The United States has been detaining terrorism suspects indefinitely since 2001, relying on an authorization by Congress to use military force against perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks and those who helped them. Last year, Congress decided to create a federal statute that codified authority for such detentions.

I hope the Federal Courts continue to uphold constitutional principles as Judge Forrest has done in this case.

High Court Rulings on Campaign Spending, Sentencing of Juveniles

Two other important Supreme Court decisions were announced yesterday.  The first upheld the Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate campaign donations.  (They struck down a Montana law which restricted campaign donations.)

The second decision by the Court said that it was a violation of the 8th Amendment to sentence juveniles to life imprisonment without a chance of parole.

Watch High Court Reaffirms Campaign Finance on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Chinese Dissident Wants Out of China

A confusing story with a lot of twists and turns took another one yesterday.  Chen Guangcheng had been imprisoned by the Chinese government for investigating and publishing information critical of the government's family planning policy, including information about forced abortions.  (Below the jump-break is a background video Chen and other issues the Chinese are facing.)

He escaped from jail a week ago and took refuge in the U.S. Embassy.  It seemed like there was an agreement for him to stay in China without the government harassing him, but he claims that is not possible.

From last night's NBC Evening News:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

UC Davis - Police Use Pepper Spray on Passive, Non-Violent student protesters

The video of seemingly indefensible police action:





The police claim they were surrounded and the protesters would not move.  From the CBS news article:

"according to Annette Spicuzza, UC Davis police chief...police used the pepper spray after they were surrounded. Protesters were warned repeatedly beforehand that force would be used if they didn't move, she said.

Meanwhile in Seattle, as a part of the Occupy Seattle protests:

An 84-year-old woman who was pepper sprayed this week at an Occupy Seattle protest said the national attention she received can help the movement's cause. 

This info is taken from an article from CBS news you can connect to here.

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in GPS Tracking Case

One of the more controversial cases of the Supreme Court term was heard this past week.

Below NBC has a short report on the case, and the oral arguments made before the Court.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Two more detailed sources on the case:

From the NY Times:

Court Casts a Wary Eye on Tracking by GPS

In an argument studded with references to George Orwell’s “1984” and the possibility that rapid advances in technology would soon allow the government to monitor everyone’s movements, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struggled to articulate how the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures should apply to the tracking of cars using GPS devices. The fit between 18th-century principles and 21st-century surveillance seemed to leave several justices frustrated.

From the NewsHour on PBS: