Cutting Through the Controversy About Indefinite Detention and the NDAA

By Cora Currier, ProPublica Dec 9, 2012 The provision about holding suspects indefinitely and without charges had generated plenty of controversy, particularly about whether US citizens could be detained in that manner This year, the Senate bill says that citizens can't be detained in the U but concerns remain about the scope of detention powers . Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Obama Threatens NDAA Veto, Colbert Mocks ‘War on Men,’ and More

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Nov 30, 2012 A look at the day's political happenings, including an update on George H.W. Bush's condition after his hospitalization and why Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is being sued. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Senators Band Together to End NDAA’s Indefinite Detention Provision

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Nov 30, 2012 "The federal government experimented with indefinite detention of United States citizens during World War II, a mistake we now recognize as a betrayal of our core values," Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Wednesday as she introduced an amendment to end the provision. "Let's not repeat it." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Discipline, Not Democracy, for Afghanistan and Iraq

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Nov 24, 2012 The U.S. government formally values the human right to be free from indefinite detention without charge, except in certain cases such as when the practice is useful for securing its own interests in Afghanistan and Iraq, writes Glenn Greenwald. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Rocky Anderson Decides Not to Get Arrested

By Thomas Hedges, Center for Study of Responsive Law Nov 6, 2012 Justice Party presidential candidate Rocky Anderson stood outside the White House on the eve of the election demanding that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder respond to the stripping away of American rights that began under George W. Bush and accelerated when Obama took office in 2008. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

NDAA Setback: Latest Court Ruling Paves Way for ‘Indefinite Detention’

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Oct 4, 2012 An appeals court Tuesday extended a temporary stay of a judge's order prohibiting the Obama administration's controversial efforts to put any U.S. citizen the government deems a terrorism suspect behind bars indefinitely without being charged or tried.An appeals court extends the stay of a judge's order blocking the provision. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Sep 23, 2012 US District Judge Katherine Forrest did the right thing for the second time in four months when she permanently affirmed an earlier ruling that blocked a statute giving the government detention powers that could put journalists and activists behind bars District Judge Katherine Forrest did the right thing for the second time in four months. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘The Face of Indefinite Detention’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Sep 18, 2012 A federal appeals court judge placed an emergency stay Monday on a lower court’s ruling against the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, meaning the government has again made clear its intent to abolish trials for anyone it considers a suspect of terrorism. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

We Won — for Now

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Sep 17, 2012 In January I sued President Barack Obama for authorizing the military to detain US citizens indefinitely U District Judge Katherine Forrest, in short, just declared the law unconstitutional. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Criminalizing Dissent

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Aug 13, 2012 The very name of the law itself -- the Homeland Battlefield Bill -- suggests the totalitarian credo of endless war waged against enemies within “the homeland” as well as those abroad.The very name of the law itself—the Homeland Battlefield Bill—suggests the totalitarian credo of endless war waged against enemies within “the homeland” as well as those abroad. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

NDAA Update: Another Legal Victory

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jun 8, 2012 A federal judge on Wednesday said that her earlier ruling on the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act applied to everyone, not just the plaintiffs in the case. She made the clarification in upholding a preliminary injunction that would block the military from indefinitely detaining American citizens it accused of supporting terrorists. Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges (above) is among the plaintiffs. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Victory for All of Us

Chris Hedges / Truthdig May 19, 2012 We hoped we could draw attention to the injustice of the law. None of us thought we would win. But every once in a while the gods smile on the damned. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )