The state secrets privilege: Relying on reynolds

Political Science Quarterly

Volumn 122, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 385-408

  Fisher, Louis ^a  

^a LIBRARY OF CONGRESS   (United States)

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EID: 34948885193     PISSN: 00323195     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/j.1538-165X.2007.tb00603.x     Document Type: Review

References (165)

1. James Risen and Eric Lichblau, "Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts," The New York Times, 16 December 2005.
2. Hepting v. AT&T Corp., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Transcript of Proceedings, 23 June 2006, 21.
3. Ibid., 23.
4. El-Masri v. Tenet, 437 F.Supp.2d 530 (E.D. Va. 2006).
5. Arar v. Ashcroft, 414 F.Supp.2d 250 (E.D. N.Y. 2006).
6. William G. Weaver and Robert M. Pallitto, "State Secrets and Executive Power," Political Science Quarterly 120 (Spring 2005): 85-112.
7. John Henry Wigmore, Evidence in Trials at Common Law, vol. 8, 3rd ed. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1940), § 2379.
8. Ibid.
9. See Louis Fisher and David Gray Adler, American Constitutional Law, 7th ed. (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2007), 263, 269-272, 761-766.
10. In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), the Supreme Court held that Scott could not sue in federal court and that he (and all other black slaves and their descendants) was not a citizen of the United States or Missouri. In the two Japanese-American cases,
11. Hirabayashi v. United States (1943),
12. and Korematsu v. United States (1944), the Court upheld a curfew order and detention camps for Japanese-Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens.
13. Louis Fisher, In the Name of National Security: Unchecked Presidential Power and the Reynolds Case (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas (2006)), 1-2.
14. 60 Stat. 843, § 403 (1) (1946).
15. Ibid., 843-844, § 410(a).
16. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 31-35.
17. Transcript of Record, Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1952, No. 21, United States v. Reynolds (hereafter "Transcript of Record"), 8.
18. Ibid., 12.
19. Ibid., 9.
20. Ibid., 14.
21. Ibid.
22. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 36.
23. Ibid., 36, 44-48.
24. Ibid., 36.
25. Ibid., 37-42.
26. United States v. Haugen, 58 F.Supp. 436, 438 (E.D. Wash. 1944).
27. Ibid., 439.
28. Ibid., 440.
29. Ibid.
30. Haugen v . United States, 153 F.2d 850, 851 (9th Cir. 1946).
31. Ibid., 852.
32. Ibid., 853.
33. Bank Line Limited v. United States, 68 F.Supp. 587, 588 (D. N.Y. 1946).
34. Bank Line v. United States, 163 F.2d 133, 135-136 (2d Cir. 1947).
35. Bank Line v. United States, 76 F.Supp. 801 (D. N.Y. 1948).
36. Ibid., 804.
37. Wunderly v. United States, 8 F.R.D. 356, 357 (D. Pa. 1948).
38. Ibid.
39. O'Neill v. United States, 79 F.Supp. 827 (D. Pa. 1948).
40. Alltmont v. United States, 174 F.2d 931 (3d Cir. 1949).
41. Alltmont v. United States, 87 F.Supp. 214 (D. Pa. 1949).
42. Alltmont v. United States, 177 F.2d 971, 978-979 (3d Cir. 1949).
43. Cresmer v. United States, 9 F.R.D. 203 (D. N.Y. 1949).
44. Ibid., 204.
45. Ibid.
46. Ibid.
47. United States v. Cotton Valley Operators Committee, 9 F.R.D. 719 (D. La. 1949).
48. United States v. Cotton Valley Operators Committee, 339 U.S. 940 (1950).
49. Evans v. United States, 10 F.R.D. 255, 257 (D. La. 1950).
50. Ibid., 257-258.
51. Ibid., 258.
52. Brauner v. United States, 10 F.R.D. 468, 472 (D. Pa. 1950).
53. Ibid., 471.
54. Ibid.
55. Ibid.
56. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 51.
57. Ibid., 51-56.
58. Affidavit of the Judge Advocate General, United States Air Force, Reynolds v. United States, Civil Action No. 10142, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 7 August 1950,
59. signed by Major General Reginald C. Harmon (hereafter "Harmon affidavit"). The affidavit was not filed with the court until 10 October 1950.
60. However, Thomas J. Curtin of the Justice Department brought this affidavit with him to the August 9 hearing; Transcript of Proceedings, 9 August 1950, Brauner and Palya v. United States, Civil Action No. 9793,
61. and Reynolds v. United States, Civil Action No. 10142 (E.D. Pa. 1950), 4 (hereafter "Proceedings for 9 August 1950").
62. Claim of Privilege by the Secretary of the Air Force, Reynolds v. United States, Civil Action No. 10142 (E.D. Pa. 1950), 2, filed with the court on 10 October 1950 (hereafter "Finletter statement"). The five-page Finletter statement is not paginated. Although not filed until October 10, Curtin brought it with him to the August 9 hearing.
63. Finletter statement, 5.
64. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 44-48.
65. Brauner v. United States, Civil Action No. 9793 U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Transcript of Proceedings, 9 August 1950, 6.
66. Ibid., 9.
67. Ibid., 10.
68. Ibid.
69. Amended Order, 21 September 1950, Brauner and Payla v. United States, Civil Action No. 9793,
70. and Reynolds v. United States, Civil Action No. 10142 (E.D. Pa. 1950), 2.
71. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 56-57.
72. Notice of Appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Brauner and Palya v. United States, Civil Action No. 9793,
73. and Reynolds v. United States, Civil Action No. 10142 (E.D. Pa. 1951).
74. Brief for the United States, Reynolds v. United States, No. 10483 (3d Cir. 1951), 1 (hereafter "Government's Brief"), 6.
75. Ibid.
76. Louis Fisher, Presidential War Power, 2nd ed. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004), 1-16.
77. Reynolds v. United States, 192 F.2d 987, 992 (3d Cir. 1951).
78. Ibid., 994.
79. Ibid., 995.
80. Ibid.
81. Ibid., 996-997.
82. Ibid., 997.
83. Brief for the United States, United States v. Reynolds, No. 21, U.S. Supreme Court, October Term, 1952, 11.
84. Fisher, In The Name of National Security, 1-2.
85. Ibid., 166-169.
86. Brief for the United States, United States v. Reynolds, No. 21, U.S. Supreme Court, October Term, 1942, 45.
87. For access to accident report, see pages 10a-68a of http://www.fas.org/ sgp/othergov/reynoldspetapp. pdf, accessed 24 June 2007.
88. United States v. Reynolds, 345 U.S. at 8.
89. Ibid., 9.
90. Ibid., 9-10.
91. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 166.
92. E-mail to author from Patricia J. Herring.
93. The Palmyra, 12 Wheat. 1, 10 (1827).
94. Hazel-Atlas Co. v. Hartford Co., 322 U.S. 238, 244 (1944).
95. Ibid., 246. For examples of coram nobis cases,
96. see Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 170-176.
97. Petition for a Writ of Error Coram Nobis to Remedy Fraud upon This Court, In re Patricia J. Herring, No. 02M76, i.
98. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 177-182.
99. Ibid., 182-186.
100. In re Herring, 539 U.S. 940 (2003).
101. Independent Action for Relief from Judgment to Remedy Fraud on the Court, Herring v. United States (E.D. Pa. 2003), 14.
102. Brief in Support of Defendant's Motion to Dismiss, Herring v. United States, Civil Action No. 03-5500 (LDD) (E.D. Pa. 2004), 18 n.6.
103. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 192-193.
104. Plaintiffs' Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss, Herring v. United States, Civil Action No. 03-5500 (LDD) (E.D. Pa. 2004), 11 (hereafter "Plaintiffs' Memorandum").
105. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 58.
106. Plaintiffs' Memorandum, 12.
107. Transcript of Hearing Before the Honorable Legrome D. Davis, Herring v. United States, CV-03-5500 LDD (E.D. 11 May 2004), 18.
108. Ibid., 41.
109. Memorandum and Order, Herring v. United States, Civil Action No. 03-CV-5500-LDD (E.D. Pa. 20 September 2004), 21.
110. Ibid., 8
111. (citing Halperin v. NSC, 452 F.Supp. 47 [D.D.C. 1978]).
112. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 198-200.
113. Herring v. United States, 424 F.3d 384, 386 (3d Cir. 2005).
114. Ibid., 391 n.3.
115. 126 S.Ct. 1909 (2006).
116. Wigmore, Evidence in Trials at Common Law, § 2212a (emphasis in original).
117. Ibid., § 2370.
118. Ibid., § 2379.
119. 46 F.R.D. 161, 272 (1969).
120. Ibid., 273.
121. Ibid.
122. Ibid.
123. Ibid., 273-274.
124. Charles Alan Wright and Kenneth W. Graham, Jr., eds., Federal Practice and Procedure, vol. 26 (St. Paul, MI: West Publishing Co., 1992), 423.
125. 51 F.R.D. 315, 375 (1971).
126. 117 Congressional Record 29894-29896 (1971).
127. Ibid., 33648.
128. Ibid., 33652-33653.
129. 56 F.R.D. 183, 251 (1972).
130. 119 Congressional Record 3755, 7651-7652 (1973);
131. Act of 30 March 1973, Public Law 93-12, 87 Stat. 9 (1973).
132. 88 Stat. 1934 (1975) (emphasis added).
133. H. Rept. No. 93-650, 93d Cong., 1st sess. (1973), 8.
134. 120 Congressional Record 1409 (1974) (statement by Rep. Dennis).
135. S. Rept. No. 93-1277, 93d Cong., 2d sess. (1974), 6.
136. Louis Fisher, "State Your Secrets: When the Government Cloaks Itself in Privilege, Judges Must Rule," Legal Times, 26 June 2006, 68-69.
137. Declaration of Formal Claim of State Secrets Privilege and Statutory Privilege by George J. Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence, Richard M. Barlow v. United States, Congressional Reference No. 98-887X, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 7.
138. Brief for the United States, United States v. Reynolds, No. 21, U.S. Supreme Court, October Term, 1952, 10-11.
139. Ibid., 24.
140. United States v. Burr, 25 Fed. Cas. 30, 37 (C.C.D. Va. 1807) (Case No. 14,692d).
141. Ibid.
142. Ibid., 65.
143. Ibid., 190.
144. Ibid.
145. Fisher, In the Name of National Security, 212-220.
146. United States v. Andolschek, 142 F.2d 503, 506 (2d Cir. 1944).
147. Ibid.
148. United States v. Beekman, 155 F.2d 580, 584 (2d Cir. 1946).
149. United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974).
150. Ibid., 709.
151. Ibid., 712 n.19.
152. Ibid.
153. See also United States v. Cotton Valley Operators Committee, 9 F.R.D. 719 (D. La. 1949),
154. judgment aff'd, 339 U.S. 940 (1950).
155. Mitchell v. Bass, 252 F.2d 513, 517 (8th Cir. 1958).
156. NLRB v. Capitol Fish Co., 294 F.2d 868, 875 (5th Cir. 1961).
157. United States v. San Antonio Portland Cement Co., 33 F.R.D. 513, 515 (D. Tex. 1963);
158. United States v. Gates, 35 F.R.D. 524, 529 (D. Colo. 1964);
159. General Engineering, Inc. v. NLRB, 341 F.2d 367, 376 (9th Cir. 1965).
160. American Civil Liberties U. v. Brown, 619 F.2d 1170, 1173 (7th Cir. 1980).
161. Dellums v. Powell, 561 F.2d 242, 244 (D.C. Cir. 1977).
162. Ibid., 247;
163. see Louis Fisher, "State Secrets Privilege: Invoke It at a Cost," National Law Journal 31 (July 2006): 23.
164. Committee for Nuclear Responsibility, Inc. v. Seaborg, 463 F.2d 788, 793 (D.C. Cir. 1971).
165. Ibid., 794.