Lawyers petition court to hold Yoo accountable

As reports circulate that the Justice Department has softened its criticism of attorney John Yoo for memos approving the Bush administration's treatment of terrorism suspects, several prominent lawyers are urging a federal appeals court in San Francisco to hold Yoo accountable. They have submitted arguments opposing dismissal of a prisoner's lawsuit that accuses the former Justice Department attorney of providing a legal cover for torture. The suit covers much of the same ground as the department's ethics investigation of Yoo. Yoo, a UC Berkeley law professor, worked from 2001 to 2003 for the department's Office of Legal Counsel, which advises the president on legal issues. He wrote a 2002 memo that justified waterboarding and other forcible interrogation methods and said the president may have the power to authorize torture. Another memo said U.S. military forces could use "any means necessary" to seize and hold terror suspects in the United States.