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After Sept. 11, a Legal Battle Over Limits of Civil Liberty

Date: August 4, 2002
Authors: Adam Liptak, Neil A. Lewis and Benjamin Weiser
QUOTE: The roundup that followed the [9/11] attacks....has produced few if any law enforcement coups....has provoked a sprawling legal battle, now being waged in federal courthouses around the country, that experts say has begun to redefine the delicate balance between individual liberties and national security.

ABSTRACT: A lengthy exploration of the struggle between the federal government, trying to push the envelope of its detention powers to the maximum, and civil liberties groups trying to protect basic constitutional rights against war-time encroachment/violation. Three basic issues are identified, and details of specific cases are given: (1) Standard procedures were not followed for people accused only of violations of immigration law (e.g. long secret detentions), (2) detention of people not accused of crimes but viewed as potential material witnesses, and (3) Hamdi and Padilla, US citizens, have been denied their basic constitutional protections because they are viewed as "enemy combatants", soldiers of a foreign government. --- D. Doernberg

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