Exposing Ashcroft’s Ethnic Dragnet: U.S. Treatment of Middle Eastern Residents Mirrors the Fate of Those with Japanese Heritage By Jessie Allen
The Justice Department says there is legal precedent for the President George Bush s order of secret military tribunals for non-citizens suspected of terrorism. Indeed there is. But the most relevant case may be one the government is ashamed to mention.
The case of Reno v. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee 97-1252, to be argued before the Supreme Court Nov. 4, reviews whether an individual deserves prompt judicial review when asserting a First Amendment defense in response to the government’s prosecution. Its not a high-profile case, but the principle at stake is constitutional bedrock, and the case requires the court to fulfill its critical, if not always popular, role in our tripartite democracy.
