May 13th, 2011
03:56 PM ET
12 years ago
Justice Stevens says bin Laden killing legally justified
Washington (CNN) - Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has voiced support for the killing of al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces, saying it was legally justified.
In remarks Thursday evening at his alma mater, Northwestern University, the 91-year-old former justice said the order by President Barack Obama for the covert mission by U.S. Navy SEALs was "to remove an enemy who had been trying every day to attack the United States," according to two people who attended a symposium and dinner that was closed to the media.
DUH!!! I don't care if the killing was unjustified. The man had blood on his hands and he got what was coming to him. Booyah!
Since when has it been illegal to kill and enemy commander of an "army" that has openly declared war against you.
i wonder if bush was president if he would of said that..
Of course it was legal. Anybody suggesting otherwise is insane. HE declared war of US! I guess UBL thought we were there to handcuff him and read him his rights! OOPS, YOUR BAD!! If you wanted to live, you could have surrendered yourself at any time over the last 10 years. Oh well... enjoy your nice long deep swim and give my regards to the fish.
One of the most liberal Supreme Court Justices ever says the death penalty is Constitutional and that killing an enemy of the state was justified.
Hilarious. Liberals going to cry now?
One of the most liberal Supreme Court Justices ever says the d eath penalty is Constitutional and that k illing an enemy of the state was justified.
Hilarious. Liberals going to cry now?
I think that it can be justified because he was a fugative from the US courts. He was also a non-state military commander that refused to fight honorably.
"i wonder if bush was president if he would of said that.."
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I wonder if GWB were president would we even be discussing it.
I'm all for having gotten Bin Laden. I am disturbed however that, over the last several years, Supreme Court Justices (of all political ideologies) have become so outspoken outside of the courtroom with their opinions. The Supreme Court has lost its "quiet dignity".
The comments are notable because John Paul Stevens, during WWII, was part of the elite team of codebreakers who found the intelligence allowing the US to track and shoot down Admiral Yamomoto, the mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and really the only other notable example of the US killing such a notorious enemy of the United States.
More bs we all know shooting an unarmed man in the head is illegal but so what? We felt like it and no one could stop us.
That's who we are now as Americans.
Legal was never the concern. "My party didn't successfully kill Bin Laden, so I'll do anything to make it look bad" is what this is all about.