Judge dismisses targeted-kill program lawsuit

[IDemo]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to halt the Obama administration's program to capture or kill Americans who joined militant groups abroad.

The lawsuit was filed by civil liberties groups on behalf of the father of Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen who joined al Qaeda in Yemen and has been tied to plots against the United States.

U.S. District Judge John Bates dismissed on jurisdictional grounds the lawsuit, which aimed to halt the program and reveal the criteria the Obama administration set for targeting someone.

Bates said the plaintiff lacked legal standing to bring the case and that his claims presented an issue that cannot be decided by the courts, requiring dismissal of the case.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B63K620101207

[OnyxCollie]

1. K&R. nt

[Sirveri]

2. This one crosses the line...

Legally the judge is correct in the lack of standing, but the legal issues surrounding this alleged presidential right are insane.

[Heywood J]

3. +1

It would have to be the targeted who files suit. But to say the courts can't rule on this matter is truly stupid. Murder is one of those things that courts were created to address...

[24601]

4. It's not a legal question but a political one. If the President oversteps

too much, the constitutional check rests with Congress, not the courts.

I laugh when remembering the history of shooting Yamamoto down during WWII and how FDR likely would have responded to an ACLU lawsuit to prevent it.

[mbperrin]

5. Yamamoto was not a US citizen, and WWII was a war declared by

Congress.

I fail to see any connection here at all. Due process alone would prohibit targeted killing of US citizens, regardless of their circumstance. Their constitutional rights are just that - rights, not some privilege that exists at the whim of the President.

[Creative]

6. You nail it...

:thumbsup: