Por HOWARD MINTZ

JOSE del SAN - Hecho frente con la discusión de la administración de Bush que un excedente del pleito alegó los vuelos de la tortura de la Cia podrían exponer los secretos del estado, juez federal que martes aparecía renuente permitir que el caso proceda contra una compañía Jose-ligada San acusada de realizar los viajes en el favor del gobierno.

LOS E.E.U.U. Las mercancías de James del juez del districto dijeron que él gobernaría pronto en la tentativa del gobierno de bloquear el pleito en los argumentos de seguridad nacional, pero que indicó que el privilegio secreto del estado podría hacer descarrilar el pleito de la unión americana de las libertades civiles contra el planeamiento internacional del viaje de Jeppesen, un subsidiario Jose-basado San de Boeing.

The ACLU brought the case last year on behalf of five alleged victims of the CIA’s so-called “extraordinary rendition” program, which civil rights lawyers say involves kidnapping terrorism suspects and secretly flying them to U.S.-run or foreign prisons for interrogation and torture.

The lawsuit alleges that Jeppesen knowingly participated in the CIA program for profit, and provided the flight planning and crew support for the flights. A former Jeppesen employee has submitted a declaration in the case saying that top Jeppesen officials openly discussed “torture flights” and their profitability.

The Bush administration intervened in the case several months ago, asserting that allowing the suit to proceed would reveal information that could jeopardize national security. The government has raised similar arguments in lawsuits against telecommunication companies accused of participating in domestic spying programs.

ACLU attorney Ben Wizner said after the hearing that it is crucial for the courts to address the legality of the CIA flight program.

“This is another attempt by the CIA to ensure that no judge, no place, at no time has a chance to rule on the legality of its interrogation and torture program,” he said.

Justice Department lawyers left the hearing without comment. But in court papers and in arguments before Ware, they warned the case “attempts to probe the most sensitive details of intelligence operations.”

The Bush administration has invoked the state secrets privilege with more regularity than past administrations, and it is difficult for federal judges to interfere when it is asserted. Ware, while conceding the privilege is strong, did express concern about preventing a case to proceed that involves civil liberties.

“It does seem to me that the duty I have is to walk the line between those interests,” the judge said during the hearing.

Ware’s ruling is expected to be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which already is considering a similar issue in a lawsuit pending against AT&T over the government’s domestic surveillance program.

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