So I've been writing recently on a couple legal topics and I've had some criticism off-line for handling them in a kind of off-the-cuff and half-assed manner. So I'm going to expound a bit more as a layperson. Follow me into There's Moreville if you're interested in my thoughts on Scooter Libby, wiretapping, and related matters.
A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging President Bush's domestic spying program, saying the plaintiffs had no standing to sue.
What does standing mean? It means that the people suing couldn't prove the government was surveilling them? Presumably, that proof would come in the form of a "smoking gun" like being declared a enemy combatant and getting thrown into a dark hole somewhere with no habeas corpus rights.
This is truly incredible. A secret wiretapping program that evades scrutiny because it is secret. Good work, judges, you've made a mockery of the Constitution.
