ACLU wins one government secret case
The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a ruling by a federal judge ordering the Department of Justice to disclose a secret document outlining the legal rationale for a new policy granting local police unprecedented powers to enforce non-criminal immigration laws.
\ufffdThere is no justification for secret lawmaking,\ufffd said ACLU attorney Omar Jadwat. \ufffdThe court has rightly foiled Attorney General Ashcroft\ufffds attempt to use secrecy to shield his radical policies from public scrutiny and debate.\ufffd
Ashcroft's tactic here was obvious, by making the rational behind the policy secret he made the policy impossible to challenge. How could you say the government's reasons are wrong when they won't let you know what those reasons are?
Jay