The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered the government on Monday to release a document on legal guidance for the targeted killing of American citizens by drone aircraft.
The circuit said a redacted version of a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel/Department of Defense memo must be released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in part because of public statements made by government officials acknowledging lethal force in counterterrorism operations, and because the Justice Department opted to release part of a White Paper on the subject that had been leaked to the media.
