American Civil Liberties Union filed today the first nationwide class-action lawsuit against the government over its “No-Fly” list, which bans anyone on the list from flying on a commercial aircraft.
The No-Fly list is compiled by the TSA and distributed to all airlines with instructions to stop or conduct extra searches of people suspected of being threats to aviation. Many innocent travelers who pose no safety risk whatsoever are stopped and searched repeatedly, the ACLU said in a statement issued today.
“This case is about innocent people who found out that their government considers them potential terrorists,” said Reginald T. Shuford, an ACLU senior staff attorney who is lead counsel in the case. “For our clients and thousands like them, getting on a plane means repeated delays and the stigma of being singled out as a security threat in front of their family, their fellow passengers and the flight crew,” Shuford added. “What’s worse, these passengers have no idea why they have been placed on the No-Fly list and no way to clear their names.”
The lawsuit, which was filed in a federal district court in Seattle, lists the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Transportation Security Administration Director David M. Stone and their respective agencies as the defendants.
The ACLU is asking the court to declare that the No-Fly list violates airline passengers’ Constitutional rights to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure and to due process of law under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. The ACLU is also asking the TSA to develop satisfactory procedures that will allow innocent people to fly without being treated as potential terrorists and subjected to humiliation and delays.
(via American Civil Liberties Union)
4 responses so far ↓
Ahmed Khalil // Feb 24, 2005 at 9:23 pm
I cannot process my ticket or board a plane without being processed by an agent because my “name is on a list” as the airline representatives usually tell me. I have no idea why would that be except for my name, pure and simple, which is discrimination by any standard.
Alissa Guler // Mar 9, 2005 at 3:29 pm
I was traveling on business with several of my associates. I was the only one that was not able to check in with my eticket. No one could tell me why I was on the list. and now….it looks like I will not be easy to get off the list. JUST HOW OFTEN ARE THESE LISTS UPDATED AND WHAT METHODS ARE USED TO ENSURE ACCURACY OF THE UPDATES!
Syed Ahmad // Jun 30, 2005 at 2:33 pm
I fly over 100,000 miles a year a get red flaged everytime by the TSA system. I even missed a flight form BKK to Tokyo because the airline agent was unfamiliar with the procedures to follow to board me. When I called the TSA’s toll free number the person I spoke to was rude and asked me to fill out a Passenger Identity Verification Form (which I already sent to TSA) I will have to try sending the form certified since T.S.A. I asked the TSA agent(Anita) if there was someone I could write to and was told you can write to us but, it won’t do a thing. She suggested I write My senator. Can anyone offer any suggestions for my situation.
kevin kelly // Aug 22, 2005 at 10:37 am
It seems that an Irish name will also get you on the List. Or maybe it’s because I supported Kerry in the last election? Who knows? Who will ever know? Only some freshly appointed, brown shirts of questionable qualification who can effectively put anyone under permanent house arrest without a fair judicial hearing for secret reasons. Chilling, isn’t it. Best, then, to Play it Safe and Not Stand Out. All this in the nation that would teach the world what “Liberty” means. First we need to teach ourselves what “Secret Police” means. Because we have them now and they won’t be easy to get rid of.
You must log in to post a comment.