By MICHAEL SCHREIBER PHILADELPHIA—Federal judges in a Jan. 13 appeals court hearing have indicated that they are favorable to the premises of a suit against the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for its surveillance of Muslims in New Jersey. The suit, Hassan v. City of New York, had been dismissed by a federal district … Continue reading Judges question NYPD spying on Muslims
Tag: civil liberties
Lynne Stewart denied compassionate release
BY JEFF MACKLER When I visited Lynne Stewart last month at FMC Cars-well in Fort Worth, Texas, she wondered in a dark moment whether the cynicism of the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) might descend to such depths as to deny her the then expected compassionate release. It crossed her mind that … Continue reading Lynne Stewart denied compassionate release
Obama’s spy methods exposed by Snowden
BY JEFF MACKLER President Obama’s well-publicized May 23 speech to the nation was aimed at moderating the present U.S. dictum that the country is and should remain in a never-ending state of war—that is, the undeclared, undefined “war on terror.” This “war,” codified since 9-11 in the Patriot Act and the associated Foreign Intelligence Surveillance … Continue reading Obama’s spy methods exposed by Snowden
Prison hinders Lynne Stewart’s cancer care
BY JEFF MACKLER (UPDATED with a new letter from Lynne.) More than two years ago radical attorney and human rights activist Lynne Stewart, now serving the third year of a 10-year prison sentence based on frame-up charges of conspiracy to aid and abet terrorism, was given a clean bill of health following surgery for breast … Continue reading Prison hinders Lynne Stewart’s cancer care
Court imposes punitive fee on socialists
By CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS In late July 2012 San Francisco Superior Court Judge Curtis E.A. Karnow imposed $243,279.50 in punitive attorney fees against Socialist Action National Secretary Jeff Mackler and five other plaintiffs, who, two years earlier, had filed a law suit against the state of California challenging important provisions of Proposition 14, the new and … Continue reading Court imposes punitive fee on socialists
Obama demands detention without trial
By DANIEL ADAM Four years ago, Barack Obama ran for president on the promise of closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within one year of taking office. Today, the prison remains open—the pledge all but forgotten. Instead of dismantling Guantanamo and with it the government’s power to detain without a trial, Obama wants … Continue reading Obama demands detention without trial
Court denies re-hearing for Lynne Stewart
BY JEFF MACKLER On Sept. 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected Lynne Stewart’s appeal for a re-hearing before the entire court. Her original conviction was upheld in 2009 by a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit. The court’s opinion was not unexpected. This was the same court that earlier pressed Federal … Continue reading Court denies re-hearing for Lynne Stewart
New wave of anti-Muslim repression
By ANDREW POLLACK The United States in late summer 2012 was awash with anti-Muslim, anti-Sikh violence and rhetoric, perpetrated by racists both in and out of office. In an Aug. 17 statement, the National Lawyers Guild’s Muslim Defense Project (MDP) noted: “Today, merely gathering as a Muslim has become an act of courage in the … Continue reading New wave of anti-Muslim repression