LAWSUITS AGAINST RED SQUADS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000100530009-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 15, 2004
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: January 1, 1977
• Content Type: MISC

NATIONAL SECURITY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
Also In This Issue: The Intelligence Community In the News, In the Literature, and In
BY MORTON H. HALPERIN, p.16 the Courts, p. 14
Docket of Red Squad Cases, p. 11
Lawsuits Against Red Squads
? The Socialist Workers Party Lawsuit
BY CLAIRE MORIARITY, p. 2
? Litigation Against Intelligence Operations of
Local Police and Federal Agencies in Chicago
BY ROBERT C. HOWARD, p. 5
? Litigation in a State Court: Benkert v.
Michigan State Police BY LARRY HOCHMAN, p. 8
EDITOR'S NOTE
This month's FIRST PRINCIPLES has been put
together to accompany the Conference Against
Police Spying, held in Chicago on January 20-23,
1977.
We print three brief articles dealing.with red
squad lawsuits. These suits differ in their
defendants-the SWP is suing present and former
federal officials, the Chicago cases are against of-
ficials of both federal and local police agencies,
and the Michigan suit is against the state and local
police. But what they have in common is that they
are all against "law enforcement" agencies and of-
ficials for surveilling, disrupting, and harassing
people and organizations who were exercising
rights which are protected by the First Amend-
ment, and can serve as models for new suits in
other jurisdictions. Such litigation fulfil ls.several
functions. Even in the beginning of litigation, suits
can uncover a wealth of documentation about
what these government agencies have been doing,
and to whom. At the end, important points of law
can be established stemming from the princi-
ple that even government agencies which style
themselves as "intelligence" operations must obey
the law.
We also print, on page 11, a docket of all the
red squad and government surveillance cases that
we know about. If there are any that we've missed
or new ones being filed, we would appreciate be-
ing kept posted. Our In the Courts column in future
issues of FIRST PRINCIPLES will keep you up to
date on these suits.
It is at all times necessary, and more particularly so during the progress
of a revolution and until right ideas confirm themselves by habit, that
we frequently refresh our patriotism by reference to first principles.
THOMAS PAINE
Approved For Release 2004/10/28 : CIA-RDP88-01314R000100530009-8