DEATH BY DRONE The government claims the right to kill any American citizen anywhere in the world, if officials decide that person is a member of Al-Qaeda.
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  • DEATH BY DRONE The government claims the right to kill any American citizen anywhere in the world, if officials decide that person is a member of Al-Qaeda.

The Obama administration did not want you to read these words:

"We do not believe that al-Aulaqi’s U.S. citizenship imposes constitutional limitations that would preclude the contemplated lethal action," wrote Justice Department lawyer David Barron in a 2010 memo, now released thanks to a decision by a federal appeals court.

Here's the text in all its dubious glory (PDF). Unfortunately, the portion explaining why death by drone—Anwar Al-Awlaki was killed in a drone strike on September 30, 2011, while he ate breakfast—doesn't violate the Fourth Amendment was redacted, reports the Washington Post:

Important sections of the Justice Department’s legal analysis were stripped from the version of the document released to the public. Among the deleted portions were paragraphs that presumably explained why the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel determined that killing Awlaki in a drone strike would not violate the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees due process to U.S. citizens accused of crimes.

The ACLU, which sued along with the New York Times to force the release of the memo, has more analysis here. Also note: