6 January 2013 - state secrets privilege

The state secrets privilege is the American codification of the ancient principle that a government can get away with anything that it can keep a lid on. It’s pretty obvious, right? Other famous criminals like Charles Manson and Giordano Bruno could also have gotten away with anything if only they’d kept it secret. So surely it’s no problem if they extend it just a trifle to things they say are secret.