Administration Quote by Edward Snowden
![“One of the saddest and most damaging legacies of the [George W.] Bush administration is the increased assertion of the "state secrets" privilege, which kept organizations like the ACLU - which had cases of people who had actually been tortured and held in indefinite detention - from getting their…” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/800/edward-snowden-555_administration_one-of-the-saddest-and-most-damaging-leg_190850.jpg)
“One of the saddest and most damaging legacies of the [George W.] Bush administration is the increased assertion of the "state secrets" privilege, which kept organizations like the ACLU - which had cases of people who had actually been tortured and held in indefinite detention - from getting their day in court.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on civil liberties, 2015
The Bush administration expanded the state secrets privilege, blocking organizations like the ACLU from challenging detention and torture cases.
In simple terms: Government secrecy limited legal challenges to human rights abuses.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for transparency and legal access.
Themes
human rights
government power
legal access
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
political
legal
When to use this quote
- court cases
- human rights advocacy
- policy reform
- journalism
Key Concepts
constitutional law
civil liberties
Questions to Reflect On
- Should state secrets be limited in cases of alleged torture?
- How can legal systems balance security and accountability?
A Different Perspective
National security concerns often justify secrecy.
![“Throughout [Barack] Obama's career, he promised to limit the state secrets doctrine which the Bush-Cheney administration had abused enormously.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/088/nat-hentoff-1615_administration_throughout-barack-obama-s-career-he-prom_1144188.jpg)
![“[Brazil] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data sovereignty."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/af7/edward-snowden-555_brazil_brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-n_14906.jpg)
![“There was a real choice when [Barack Obama] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold senior officials to account with the same laws that every other citizen in the country is held to," or "This is a nation that believes in the rule of law."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/104/edward-snowden-555_accounts_there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obam_27838.jpg)
