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February 9, 2009

Appeal in Boeing Rendition Case to Test Obama on Torture, Secrecy
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Meanwhile, in San Francisco, a federal appeals court will hear arguments
today in a case seeking to reinstate a suit against a Boeing subsidiary
accused of helping the CIA secretly transport prisoners to overseas
torture chambers. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the case
against Jeppesen International Trip Planning on behalf of five former
prisoners. The lawsuit accused Jeppesen of arranging at least seventy
flights since 2001 as part of the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program.
The Bush administration successfully won the case’s dismissal on the
grounds it would risk exposing “state secrets.” But it’s unclear whether
government lawyers under President Obama will make the same argument
before the court today. Legal observers say the case will mark a
significant test of President Obama’s stated opposition to White
House-backed torture and secrecy.



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