Islamic Charity Wins a Battle in Lawsuit
September 8, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
A federal judge in Oregon ruled on Thursday that an Islamic charity could proceed with a lawsuit against the Bush administration’s surveillance program, reports The Washington Post.
The now-defunct charity, the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, had a chapter in Ashland, Ore., that went out of business after the U.S. government labeled it a terrorist organization.
The federal government sought dismissal of the suit, arguing that a public trial could damage national security. However, U.S. District Judge Garr King said he believed it would be possible to avoid releasing any sensitive information.
The charity says that two of its lawyers and at least one official were under electronic surveillance in March and April 2004. It wants the wiretapping to be ruled illegal because the government did not seek a warrant.
