NEW YORK (AP) — A New York federal appeals court has rejected the government’s request to reargue in secret its order that it reveal a classified memo describing legal justifications for using drones to kill U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism overseas.
A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. It said it sees no reason why the government needs total secrecy when it can redact portions of its submission.
It also directed the government to provide the appeals court with any additional passages of the memorandum that it believes should be permanently redacted before the memo is released.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit brought by The New York Times and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
