Reaction of Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy
To the Decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Directing the Department of Justice
To Comply with the Freedom of Information Act
To Release Information on Detainees

Aug. 2, 2002

“This decision puts the rule of law over the Justice Department’s unilateralism.  The judge properly observes that secret arrests are a concept odious to a democratic society and are ‘profoundly antithetical to the bedrock values that characterize a free and open one such as ours.’ 

“The Justice Department has largely ignored repeated congressional requests for this same information, with appropriate safeguards.  Constructive oversight by both the Congress and the courts helps ensure that the Justice Department uses its enormous power appropriately both to protect our national security and to uphold individual rights.  This decision tells the Justice Department that it has to follow the law.  Our system has built-in checks to prevent excessive use of government power, and all Americans can take pride in this example of our democracy at work.”

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