Document: Government Need Not Disclose Syria Airstrike Justification, Judge Rules

On Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled to deny the nonprofit group Protect Democracy access to certain documents related to the Trump administration’s legal justification for airstrikes in Syria in April 2017. Protect Democracy had sued under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (Lawfare’s detailed background on the case can be found here). The full ruling is below.

Full disclosure: Protect Democracy is also representing Lawfare staff members Benjamin Wittes, Susan Hennessey, and Scott Anderson in several matters, including matters under the Freedom of Information Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the Data Quality Act.