In a ruling issued Tuesday a United States federal judge dismissed a lawsuit which attempted to stop the U.S. government from selecting Anwar al-Awlaki for targeted killing . Anwar al-Awlaki in 2008 John D. Bates, United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ,  wrote in his opinion that the lawsuit was a "unique and extraordinary case" which brought up questions over whether the government had the authority to strategize over killing its own citizens without a previous criminal justice process undertaken. Judge Bates ruled for the United States Department of Justice , and held that various civil rights organizations in addition to Awlaki's father did not have the authority or jurisdiction to start the lawsuit in the first place. Awlaki's father was supported in the case by two civil rights organizations, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union. In the lawsuit these organizations argued before the court that targeted killing of an individual who does not present an imminent threat of life to citizens is not permitted by international law or by the United States Constitution . Awlaki was born in New Mexico. Yemeni law enforcement officials in November charged Awlaki with connections to Al-Qaeda, and ordered him to be arrested "by any means possible". U.S. officials have identified Awlaki as an influential leader within the Islamist terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Awlaki has made statements where he encouraged individuals of Muslim faith to murder U.S. citizens. According to Associated Press, Awlaki is located in Yemen. He has been linked to terrorist incidents in the United States including the Fort Hood shooting , the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 , and the Cargo planes bomb plot . AP reported that it received confirmation from Obama administration officials that, "al-Awlaki is on a capture or kill list"; and Agence France-Presse received similar statements from U.S. representatives. However, during the actual process of the Awlaki lawsuit in court, government representatives refused to confirm or deny whether this was the case. The U.S. government put forth the notion during the case that the court did not have jurisdiction to review actions of the President of the United States , due to the fact that the President's choices are intended in a setting of war to prevent the loss of lives of U.S. citizens stemming from acts of terrorism.
In a ruling issued Tuesday a United States federal judge dismissed a lawsuit which attempted to stop the U.S. government from selecting Anwar al-Awlaki for . in 2008 , for the , wrote in his opinion that the lawsuit was a "unique and extraordinary case" which brought up questions over whether the government had the authority to strategize over killing its own citizens without a previous criminal justice process undertaken. Judge Bates ruled for the , and held that various civil rights organizations in addition to Awlaki's father did not have the authority or jurisdiction to start the lawsuit in the first place. Awlaki's father was supported in the case by two civil rights organizations, the and the American Civil Liberties Union. In the lawsuit these organizations argued before the court that targeted killing of an individual who does not present an imminent threat of life to citizens is not permitted by international law or by the . Awlaki was born in New Mexico. Yemeni law enforcement officials in November charged Awlaki with connections to Al-Qaeda, and ordered him to be arrested "by any means possible". U.S. officials have identified Awlaki as an influential leader within the terrorist organization (AQAP). Awlaki has made statements where he encouraged individuals of faith to murder U.S. citizens. According to Associated Press, Awlaki is located in Yemen. He has been linked to terrorist incidents in the United States including the , the attempted bombing of , and the . AP reported that it received confirmation from officials that, "al-Awlaki is on a capture or kill list"; and received similar statements from U.S. representatives. However, during the actual process of the Awlaki lawsuit in court, government representatives refused to confirm or deny whether this was the case. The U.S. government put forth the notion during the case that the court did not have jurisdiction to review actions of the , due to the fact that the President's choices are intended in a setting of war to prevent the loss of lives of U.S. citizens stemming from acts of terrorism.
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targeted killing
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Anwar al-Awlaki
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John D. Bates, United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
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for the ,
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United States Department of Justice
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Center for Constitutional Rights
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United States Constitution
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Islamist terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
terrorist organization
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Muslim
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Fort Hood shooting
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Northwest Airlines Flight 253
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Cargo planes bomb plot
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Obama administration
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Agence France-Presse
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President of the United States