The highly-controversial indefinite detention provision signed into
law by the President at the end of last year has been ruled
unconstitutional by a U.S. District court judge in New York. The
provision allows the military to detain anyone indefinitely if they are
suspected of associating with terrorists - whether they realize it or
not.
But that law was challenged by a group of journalists and
whistleblowers - including Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky, and Daniel
Ellsberg - who argued the law violated the First Amendment - since
journalists often come in contact with terrorist organization and thus
under the law could be subject to detention. On Wednesday night, Judge
Katherine Forrest agreed with the plaintiffs in the case, ruling that
the law is unconstitutional - violating the First Amendment rights of
the press and the Fifth Amendment right of due process.
Meanwhile, as a new version of the NDAA is being debated in
Congress, brave members on both sides of the aisle are arguing that
there should be no indefinite detention provision in it, invalidating
the previous NDAA. We need to return to the values our nation was
founded on, which include bravery and due process - and not fear and
medieval imprisonment techniques.
-Thom
(Do you think indefinite detention will be dropped? Tell us here.)
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