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Fed appeals court won't rehear Ashcroft lawsuit
A federal appellate court said Thursday it wouldn't reconsider its ruling that former Attorney General John Ashcroft can be held personally responsible for misuse of the material witness statute after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The ruling came after a majority of the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted to deny Ashcroft's request amid bitter dissent by eight of its judges.
Abdullah al-Kidd, a U.S. citizen, sued Ashcroft and other federal officials after he was arrested and jailed as a material witness in a terrorism case against another man. He said his arrest and detention were just a ruse to give the government time to investigate him for any potential wrongdoing. He was never called to testify at trial.