FAS

The State Secrets Privilege, and More from CRS

06.04.09 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

The Congressional Research Service has prepared a new account of the state secrets privilege, which is used by the government to bar disclosure of certain national security information in the course of civil litigation.  While the CRS report contains nothing new, it is a detailed, dispassionate and fairly comprehensive account of the subject.  A copy was obtained by Secrecy News.  See “The State Secrets Privilege and Other Limits on Litigation Involving Classified Information” (pdf), May 28, 2009.

Other notable new CRS products that have not been made publicly available include the following (all pdf).

“Major U.S. Arms Sales and Grants to Pakistan Since 2001” (fact sheet), updated June 3, 2009.

“Political Turmoil in Thailand and U.S. Interests,” May 26, 2009.

“The 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) ‘Swine Flu’ Outbreak: An Overview,” May 20, 2009.

“Defense: FY2010 Authorization and Appropriations,” May 8, 2009.

“Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies,” March 31, 2009.