US May Invoke "State Secrets" To Stop Banking Suit

An anonymous reader sends us to the International Herald Tribune for news that the Bush administration is signaling that it plans to turn once again to a favorite legal tool, the 'state secrets' privilege. The administration wants to shut down a lawsuit brought against Swift, a huge Belgium banking cooperative that that the article calls the "nerve center of the global banking industry," after it was revealed that Swift secretly let the CIA comb through millions of private financial records. Quoting: "Two US banking customers sued Swift on invasion-of-privacy grounds. Many legal and financial analysts expected that the lawsuit would be thrown out because US banking privacy laws are considered much more lax than those in much of Europe. But to the surprise of many, a judge refused to throw out the lawsuit in a ruling in June."

Comments

To put it another way...

[PlayItBogart]

Hey, can I rummage through your girlfriend's panty drawer? She won't mind, right? I'm looking for weapons of mass destruction. Seriously.

Re:To put it another way...

[arivanov]

I'm looking for weapons of mass destruction

Surely, weapons of mass distraction, right?

Re:So, uhhhh, when....

[arivanov]

He is definitely un-'Merican. Wee means small is Glaswegian and the last time I have heard Glasgow is still part of the UK though some fishy characters want it to secede.

Re:Slashdot Racism Is Insightful??!!

[hamburger lady]

'a bit of a southern drawl' is not the same as 'chews up and mangles the english language'.

thanks for playing tho.

I guess the it shows conservatives are focus better on issues that the lefty crowd.

it's almost comedy! speaking of mangling english...