News & Commentary

By Peter Bibring, Senior Staff Attorney Yesterday, a district court judge threw out claims brought by members of Southern California’s Muslim community that the FBI undertook a massive operation to surveil them on the basis of their religion. In tossing these claims from the suit, which was filed by the ACLU of Southern California, the Council on Islamic American Relations (CAIR) and the law firm Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick LLP, the court didn’t say that the FBI had not engaged in the alleged surveillance, or that it had indeed complied with the First Amendment. Instead, the court relied on the government’s invocation of the “state secrets” privilege, saying that even trying to determine whether the FBI had violated the Constitution might risk disclosure of information that could harm national security.

By Mark Rosenbaum, Chief Counsel Five times a day, Princess Jasmine escapes the pressures of the royal palace to walk through the city streets under the cover of a modest headscarf. Or at least that's what happens in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular, the live show that performs five times every day in front of hundreds in Disney's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim. Aladdin's broad humor and characters are geared toward young children, but everybody enjoys the show.

At 10:30 this morning, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the law offices of Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick are scheduled to announce "a lawsuit against a major media and entertainment company on behalf of a Muslim former employee, fired for wearing the hijab headscarf at work."

KTLA: A Muslim woman who worked as a hostess at a Disneyland restaurant is suing Disney, claiming the company wouldn't let her appear in front of guests while wearing her headscarf.

Seeing and hearing prisoners who have experienced prolonged solitary confinement is not easy. The emotional and physical damage done to prisoners held in solitary does not present a pretty picture.

Calling for justice under the Capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia.After a day-long hearing yesterday in Atlanta, the Georgia State Board of Pardons of Paroles today denied clemency to Troy Anthony Davis, in the face of a million cries of #TooMuchDoubt. Troy is scheduled to be executed Wednesday September 21, at 7 p.m.On the Friday before the hearing — the Global Day of Solidarity — more than 3,000 people marched in Atlanta calling for justice for Troy. Roughly 1 million people have contacted the parole board directly to urge clemency. We were all ignored.

Late

The Obama administration’s Justice Department took a swing at the rights of all Americans this week.

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