NYTimes Sues to Get “Targeted Killing” Legal Advice

What is fascinating about this lawsuit is the focus on getting the “legal advice” as opposed to simply information about the targeted killings policy.

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice charging that the government failed to release information under the Freedom of Information Act on records surrounding questions of the legality of targeted killing, especially as it relates to American citizens.

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“Given questions surrounding the legality of the practice under both U.S. and international law, notable legal scholars, human rights activists, and current and former government officials have called for the government to disclose its legal analysis justifying the use of targeted lethal force, especially as it applies to American Citizens,” the lawsuit contends.

I don’t know enough about FOIA law to say much, but I think it will be some tough sledding for the NYTimes to get internal legal advice. Why doesn’t someone just leak it?  It’s been done before.