Supreme Court Says Muslim Men Can Sue FBI Agents In No-Fly List Case

[Calista241]

Source: NPR

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion, ruled Thursday that Muslims put on the no-fly list after refusing to act as informants can sue federal officials for money damages under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The case – Tanzin v. Tanvir — involved three Muslim men who said their religious freedom rights were violated when FBI agents tried to use the no-fly list to force them into becoming informants.

Ramzi Kassen, the lawyer representing the thee men, explained that the no-fly list is problematic because it combines "tremendous power with a near total lack of transparency," empowering the FBI to use it as coercive force.

None of the men was suspected of illegal activity, and indeed the Obama administration tried to head off the suit by removing their names from the no-fly list just days before the case first went to court. It didn't work. The men refused to drop their case, and on Thursday the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in their favor.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/10/945000341/supreme-court-says-muslim-men-can-sue-fbi-agents-in-no-fly-list-case

---

8-0 opinion written by Thomas.

[PoliticAverse]

1. 8-0, was heard before Barrett was confirmed.

While the court's decision was unanimous, it was heard before Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as the newest justice, and she did not participate in the ruling.

[MichMan]

2. They can be sued personally?

Sue them for 10 million

[Calista241]

4. They wouldn't get anything if you sued them for that much.

No FBI agent is worth $10m, they’d just declare bankruptcy. If it’s money they want, they have to sue the gov’t.

[friendly_iconoclast]

3. Link to the opinion (*.pdf format)

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-71_qol1.pdf

[Dustlawyer]

5. I spent 15 years on the "No Fly List" because according to the FBI a terrorist from

South Yemen used my name as an alias. I have a very common name, so much so there were two other guys in my HS with the same name. I had guns pulled on me by 4 officers in the airport in front of thousands of travelers on a busy Friday afternoon in December of 2001. They had made a PA announcement for me to go to the standby counter. While I was being detained another man with my name came up and said our name. The cops were puzzled and took him too.

I was flying over 100,000 miles a year back then and my life became miserable. Missed flights, multiple searches, baggage ransacked and x-rayed... The last few years I was on the list they never even bothered to give me any “extra treatment.” The list is a joke and was used to try and give law enforcement automatic probable cause to search me and my effects.

There was no due process and no way to get off of the list. I only found out I was off when I checked the last time and my name was no longer there. Just imagine your name appeared on it and you suddenly lost any rights to refuse a search of your car etc. Being an attorney helped a great deal, but not always.

By the way, my sur name is Scottish and I am white. No mistaking me for someone from South Yemen. I believe the whole thing was BS. I believe they put a lot of common names on the list to be able to check out as many people as possible.

[Polybius]

6. That is so horrible to hear, I wish you could sue our government

What happened in the wake of 9/11 is a tragedy. This is why I put W Bush as the worst President in my lifetime, more so than even Trump.

[DeminPennswoods]

7. White evangelicals are going to be shocked

when they figure out "religious liberty" appplies to more people than just them.