A federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday rejected a bid by the New York Times to force the Obama administration to reveal more information about its drone attacks targeting people that the administration claims have ties to terrorism.
Judge Colleen McMahon said the government did not violate the law by refusing the daily’s request as it was not obligated to turn over documents that the paper had called for under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Two New York Times reporters, Charlie Savage and Scott Shane, had filed the lawsuit against the government for details about the US drone strikes.
The Times said that it plans to appeal the judge’s decision.
"We began this litigation because we believed our readers deserved to know more about the US government's legal position on the use of targeted killings against persons having ties to terrorism, including US citizens," New York Times assistant general counsel David McCraw said in a statement.
Judge McMahon has also rejected a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) requesting information on drone attacks.
The United States frequently carries out drone attacks allegedly to target hideouts of militants in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. But the main victims of the US drone attacks are civilians.
The United Nations has identified the United States as the world’s number one user of targeted killings, largely due to its drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The strategy of drone attacks was first considered by the Bush administration shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001 but was expanded under the Obama administration.
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