Judge orders hearing on destroyed CIA videotapes
Lawyer Blogs
A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to explain whether the CIA violated a court order by destroying videotapes of the harsh interrogations of two terrorism suspects.
U.S. District Court Judge Henry Kennedy, who in 2005 had ordered the government to preserve information on prisoner mistreatment at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, scheduled a court hearing on the tapes for Friday, overriding government objections.
Lawyers for a group of Guantanamo Bay inmates contesting their detention had requested the hearing to learn whether the government had complied with the preservation order. They cited reports that information obtained from the interrogations implicated five unnamed Guantanamo detainees.
"We hope to establish a procedure to review the government's handling of evidence in our case ... and generally to require an accounting from a government that has admitted that it destroyed evidence," said David Remes, an attorney for the group of inmates.
He declined to comment on whether he believed any of his clients were implicated during the interrogations.
The CIA on December 6 disclosed that it had destroyed hundreds of hours of interrogation tapes, prompting an outcry from congressional Democrats and human rights activists. The sessions recorded on the tapes were believed to have included a form of simulated drowning known as waterboarding, which has been condemned internationally as torture.
The CIA said it destroyed the tapes lawfully and did so out of concern for the safety of agents involved if the recordings were ever made public. The White House has repeatedly denied the United States tortures terrorism suspects.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the judge's hearing order but the department last week urged Kennedy not to investigate the videotapes.
Related listings
-
S. Korean Pleads Guilty to Lying to FBI
Lawyer Blogs 12/18/2007A South Korean man suspected of spying on North Korea for his government has pleaded guilty to charges that he repeatedly lied about his activities to the FBI.Park Il Woo pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to lying about his role as a South Ko...
-
Court throws out publisher/freelancer settlement
Lawyer Blogs 12/17/2007[##_1L|1011923471.jpg|width="130" height="130" alt=""|_##]An appeals court has thrown out a settlement between freelance writers and publishers such as the New York Times and Dow Jones & Co. The writers had sued these publishers, and others inclu...
-
2 plead guilty of plotting to engage in terrorism
Lawyer Blogs 12/16/2007Two men accused of plotting behind prison walls to launch jihad-style attacks on military sites, synagogues and other targets in 2005 pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to levy war against the United States. Kevin James, 31, and Levar Haley Washingt...

New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.