Osama Bin Laden

Want Osama Pictures? Better Ask A Lawyer.

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Where's the BLOOD?

Everybody has an opinion on whether or not the Obama administration should release kill shots of Osama bin Laden. It’s a tough question. And there are intelligent ways to disagree with the president’s opinion (see Jon Stewart’s impassioned plea). Or you could just call the president a pussy accuse the president of “pussyfooting” on Twitter, because that shows real leadership.

Those are fine responses for former half-term governors and pundits in the public eye. But lawyers are going about the picture issue in a much more interesting manner. Before asking if Obama “should” release the Osama photos, lawyers are wondering “does he have to,” if served with a FOIA request.

It depends, but the question itself is a helpful reminder that we are a nation of laws…

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Morning Docket: 05.05.11

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Kid who didn't do as well as his parents.

* DOMA dude Paul Clement filed his first brief as lead counsel for 26 states seeking to nullify Obamacare. In a land of socialist, freeloading, hippie queers, one man stands alone. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]

* Actually, that’s not true — The Cooch has Clement’s back (twhs), Tweeting all the misspelled and hilarious punchlines that are fit to print. [The Virginian-Pilot]

* Eric Holder defended the legality of the Osama killing on Capitol Hill yesterday. In prepared remarks, he said, “If history has taught us anything, it’s that you can kill anyone.” [CNN]

* I don’t want to intrude on Lat’s beat here, but Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein’s pad sounds pretty nice. Bet it even has a foyer, whatever the hell that is. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Irving Picard has asked a judge to allow him to start making disbursements to Madoff’s victims. Victims stand to receive a coupon book valued at over 200 dollars, a free subscription to Cat Fancy, and a lifetime’s supply of Spanx for Men. [Reuters]

* Chris Simms, guilty of poor quarterbackery, was found not guilty of smoking drugs and driving. [New York Post]

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Quotes of the Day: Did ‘Torture’ Contribute to the Finding of Osama Bin Laden?

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Imagine what would have happened if the Obama administration had been running things immediately following 9/11. After their “arrest,” we would have read [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] and [Abu Faraj al-Libi] their Miranda rights, provided them legal counsel, sent them to the U.S. for detention, and granted them all the rights provided a U.S. citizen in criminal proceedings.

If this had happened, the CIA could not have built the intelligence mosaic that pinpointed bin Laden’s location. Without the intelligence produced by Bush policies, the SEAL helicopters would be idling their engines at their Afghanistan base even now. In the war on terror, it is easy to pull the trigger — it is hard to figure out where to aim.

– Professor John Yoo, in an opinion piece in today’s Wall Street Journal. While serving as a Justice Department official in the Bush Administration, Professor Yoo provided legal analysis supporting the application of enhanced interrogation techniques to terror detainees — techniques that may have yielded information used in locating Osama bin Laden.

(A counterpoint to Professor Yoo — we believe in presenting both sides here at Above the Law — appears after the jump.)

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Morning Docket: 05.03.11

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* This article details how the killing of Osama bin Laden was legal. That old honey badger Elie says he doesn’t give a s**t. [Christian Science Monitor]

* Former Winston & Strawn partner Jonathan Bristol pleaded guilty to money laundering charges yesterday in connection with Kenneth Starr’s Ponzi scheme. You know what’s a cool word? Disambiguation. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Tivo reached a settlement with Dish Network yesterday. Let’s just fast forward to the next one, shall we? [PCWorld]

* What’s the biggest impediment to “women of color” getting ahead in the legal profession? Finding a purse that matches their shoes! Am I right ladies??? [The Careerist]

* Facebook is being sued for letting kids like advertisers’ products. I can’t think of anything, so here’s a dog in a Wonder Woman costume. [Bloomberg via ABA Journal]

* This article suggests that lawyers need to have some minimal level of competency. Another thing that would have been great to know FIVE YEARS AGO, Northwestern. [New York Times]

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No Trial For Osama Bin Laden A Gift For All Americans

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I don't think anybody needed to hear testimony from this guy.

As you might have heard, United States special forces killed Osama Bin Laden. Let’s take a moment to be happy about that, but also to remember Bin Laden’s many, many victims.

Thank God he was killed, not “captured.” If he had been captured, there would have been some kind of trial. Some kind of fake, orchestrated, television show of a trial. Lawyers, judges, and others would have danced around trying to give Osama bin Laden the appearance of a fair hearing before his inevitable execution. It would have been a farce — a farce that our military and/or civilian courts are not equipped to handle.

Better for Bin Laden to meet his end as he did: via a double tap from a Navy Seal….

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Breaking: We Got The Bastard

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Osama Bin Laden is dead!

The television people are reminding us that today is the eighth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished.” Which is kind of awesome. Because now it is.

Not only has he been killed, but the U.S. has his body.

God bless America. God bless the memories of the many victims of 9/11.

Let us celebrate in the comments.

UPDATE: Should there have been a trial for Osama Bin Laden? Read more here.

Official: Osama bin Laden is dead [MSNBC.com]

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