During a fresh round of debate this week over President Barack Obama's claim that he can unilaterally order lethal strikes by unmanned aircraft against U.S. citizens, some lawmakers proposed a middle ground: a special federal "drone court" that would approve suspected militants for targeting.
While the idea of a judicial review of such operations may be gaining political currency, multiple U.S. officials said on Friday that imminent action by the U.S. Congress or the White House to create one is unlikely. The idea is being actively considered, however, according to a White House official.
At Thursday's confirmation hearing for CIA director nominee John Brennan, senators discussed establishing a secret court or tribunal to rule on the validity of cases that U.S. intelligence agencies draw up for killing suspected militants using drones.
The court could be modeled on an existing court which examines applications for electronic eavesdropping on suspected spies or terrorists.
TVNL Comment: We kill people for being 'suspected militants.' - not proven threats. We kill pepole in the area of the target, no matter who they are. Wait till the first drone targets someone in the US who is seen as an enemy by another country. Then, hear the outrage....
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