SocraticGadfly: SCOTUS kills Iqbal lawsuit

May 18, 2009

SCOTUS kills Iqbal lawsuit

On a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that Pakistani post-9/11 arrestee Javid Iqbal cannot sue the FBI and Director Robert Mueller for religious discrimination; Iqbal alleges they were ultimately responsible for the terms of his confinement, on religious grounds.

The court also ruled, 7-2, that pre-1979 maternity leave can’t retroactively be added to pension time and that Rep. William Jefferson can’t delay his bribery trial; that was unanimous.

All three rulings seem correct, though the first is the most iffy. I don’t think the FBI can directly be tied to Iqbal’s treatment, regardless of whether or not some sort of discrimination caused it.

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