Obama refuses to reveal no-fly list criteria
A federal judge in Virginia has ordered the federal government to reveal its logic for placing Americans who haven't been convicted of any violent crimes on the no-fly list. The Obama administration is fighting the order, though a leaked document already indicates that it is not necessary to be suspected of terrorism to end up on the list.
In response to the lawsuit that produced this order, Attorney General Eric Holder has invoked the state secrets privilege to avoid complying with the judge's request. Holder previously asserted the same privilege in regards to the placement of a Muslim student from Stanford University on the no-fly list last year. After seven years in court and nearly $4 million in legal fees, the student cleared her name when it was revealed that the "state secret" Holder was protecting was a clerical error on behalf of the FBI.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 redundant cartoons about Greg Bovino's walking papersCartoons Artists take on Bovino versus bovine, a new job description, and more
-
31 political cartoons for January 2026Cartoons Editorial cartoonists take on Donald Trump, ICE, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Greenland and more
-
Political cartoons for January 31Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include congressional spin, Obamacare subsidies, and more
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
