NCJ Number
233410
Date Published
2010
Length
267 pages
Annotation
This Federal Judicial Center resource provides methods that Federal judges have employed to meet the challenges of national security cases.
Abstract
The information presented is based on a review of case files and news media accounts and on interviews with the judges involved in national security cases which often pose unusual and challenging case-management issues for the courts: evidence or arguments may be classified; witnesses or the jury may require special security measures; attorneys' contacts with their clients may be diminished; and other challenges can spontaneously present themselves. The case studies include factual background information about a selection of national security cases, such as: the American Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the First World Trade Center bombing, the Millennium Bomber, A Would-Be Spy, the Twentieth Hijacker, Prosecution of a Charity, American Taliban, September 11 Damages, A Plot to Kill President Bush, the Dirty Bomber, and a Mistaken Rendition case, among others. The descriptions of the judges' challenges and solutions include: attorney issues, cabinet officer considerations, religious accommodations, information protection, mental health issues of detainee during detention, physical security for court, witness and jury, and terrorist contacts.