Court Rules for Defunct Islamic Charity in Wiretap Case

The Justice Department’s request for a delay in a lawsuit brought by the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation over warrantless wiretapping was denied Friday by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, reports The Oregonian.

The ruling sets the stage for the case to proceed. The Obama administration had sought a stay, citing the so-called state secrets privilege in a bid to prevent the now-defunct charity’s lawyers from seeing a document they say shows Al-Haramain was subjected to illegal surveillance.

The Oregon branch of the Saudi-based foundation disbanded after it was branded a terrorist front group by the Treasury Department in 2004. It filed suit in 2006 over the alleged wiretapping.