Legal Violation Quotes
President George W. Bush had ignored a federal law and tapped the phones of Americans without probable cause and a warrant issued by a court. The President’s defenders argued that the President, as Commander in Chief, has the Constitutional responsibility to lead the military and protect the nation. Intelligence gathering is part of military activity. Therefore the intelligence gathering is a Constitutional duty and the Congress, under the separation of powers doctrine, may not interfere with the President’s Constitutional Duty to conduct intelligence. Under this doctrine, the President need not obey laws that he believes impinge on his management of the war effort and the defense of the nation. Most legal scholars believe that this argument is nonsense, but the George W. Bush administration has stated the doctrine and it was the subject of much litigation.
While it is true that the English wanted a legal system that would enforce modern western views of business and property, there was another major reason that the British wanted special courts. There were many British businessmen and civil service who insisted on their rights as Englishmen. These were not provided by traditional Islamic law (Sharia). On the other hand the British wanted to give the Egyptians a great deal of autonomy and the compromise was to have two legal systems—one for each culture. This is a solution that has existed many times and many places. The most common is when the U. S. has a military base in a foreign country and agreement is entered into as to what laws will govern the Americans. Even in the United States it was common for many years for Indians accused of a crime on an Indian reservation to be tried by the tribal council while whites accused of the same crime would be tried before a Federal Magistrate. Even today there are conflicts between the legal systems and traditions of some tribes and the United States Constitution which also protects all Indians.
Chelsea Elizabeth Manning
Referring to J. Edgar Hoover:
