Court Closes FBI Case Arguments to Public

AP ^ | 4/21/5 | PETE YOST

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court turned aside efforts to open to the public closed-door arguments Thursday in the case of a fired FBI contractor who alleged there were security breaches and misconduct at the bureau.

Sibel Edmonds is seeking to revive her lawsuit against the government. It was thrown out of U.S. District Court when the Bush administration invoked the state secrets privilege, which allows the government to withhold information to safeguard national security.

Edmonds says she was dismissed from her job as a wiretap translator because she told superiors she suspected a co-worker was leaking information to targets of an ongoing FBI probe.

A three-judge panel closed the court arguments, even though Edmonds' allegations have been outlined in court papers, in a report by the Justice Department's inspector general and on Capitol Hill.

Edmonds said her information, if aggressively pursued, would lead to criminal prosecutions.

The court's unusual decision to close arguments prompted a challenge by Edmonds' American Civil Liberties Union attorneys. That challenge was supported by media organizations including The Associated Press. Two private groups, the Project on Government Oversight and Public Citizen, also joined the effort.

Court workers cleared the courtroom of spectators in advance of the argument.

Outside the courthouse, ACLU lawyer Ann Beeson said only

[SmithL]

She alledges that she uncovered security violations, so she wants everyone to know about them.