Four former Abu Ghraib prisoners can sue CACI – the defense contractor responsible for their containment, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The alleged torture victims were held at the military prison in Iraq, which has been widely accused of using harsh interrogation tactics after disturbing images of torture surfaced in 2004, before being released without charges. The Arlington, VA-based defense contractor claimed immunity from prosecution, but U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee said he would not accept its claim that interrogation oversight ensured that torture could not have occurred. (Associated Press)The Obama administration took a step towards strengthening the Freedom of Information Act Thursday. Attorney General Eric Holder released a set of guidelines asking federal agencies to release records to the public unless it would result in significant legal harm. Under the Bush administration, the Justice Department’s policy regarding the release of records was much more restrictive — any legal argument for keeping records from the public was accepted, according to the Associated Press. Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Pat Leahy (D-VT) called this “a fresh and welcomed start to the new era of government responsibility.” (Associated Press)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=144707