DOJ Releases Bush Administration Memos Authorizing the Use of Torture

The Justice Dept. released these memos from the Office of Legal Counsel, written by ex-DOJ lawyers Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury. In the DOJ press release Attorney General Eric Holder said, in part

"The President has halted the use of the interrogation techniques described in these opinions, and this administration has made clear from day one that it will not condone torture . . . We are disclosing these memos consistent with our commitment to the rule of law."

The press release continues

Holder also stressed that intelligence community officials who acted reasonably and relied in good faith on authoritative legal advice from the Justice Department that their conduct was lawful, and conformed their conduct to that advice, would not face federal prosecutions for that conduct.

Jay Bybee is now a federal judge, appointed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by George Bush.

DOJ Releases Anti-Terror Memos and Opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel

From the DOJ website:

The Department of Justice today released two previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memoranda and seven previously undisclosed opinions. "Americans deserve a government that operates with transparency and openness," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "It is my goal to make OLC opinions available when possible while still protecting national security information and ensuring robust internal executive branch debate and decision-making."
The two memoranda memorialized that certain legal propositions in ten OLC opinions issued between 2001 and 2003 no longer reflected the views of OLC and "should not be treated as authoritative for any purpose." They further explained that some of the underlying opinions had been withdrawn or superseded and that "caution should be exercised" by the executive branch "before relying in other respects" on the other opinions that had not been superseded or withdrawn.
The opinions and memoranda are available at http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/olc-memos.htm.