From: Andrew.Spring@ping.be (Andrew Spring)
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 95 07:19:00 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Root Causes
Message-ID: <v01510102ac2d82ae5f36@[193.74.217.19]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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>Is there any precedence or possibility of either filing civil or criminal
>charges against a Government official for their _official_ actions?
>Something that will not only make for some Serious Press, but hit them from
>an unexpected angle?
>

It's extremely difficult to do that and not get laughed out of court.
Think about it.  If the president or congress could be sued for their official
actions, every unemployed auto worker would be suing them for not restricting
Japanese imports.  That's what sovereign immunity is for; to keep the
government from being nibbled to death by millions of little nuisance suits
from soreheads all over the country.

>Alternatively, could a civil suit be filed for invasion of privacy or
>somesuch? Or perhaps the previously mentioned violation of civil rights (a
>la Rodney King)?
>

Well actually, Congress is probably not subject to it's own laws on privacy.
I remember during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings there was a bit of
a to-do about exactly who it was that leaked Anita Hill's allegations to the
press; and Joe Biden was going around saying "No crimes were committed, no
crimes were committed."  This was explained as Congress-speak for "The leak of
Hill's allegations were done by a Congressman, not a staffer" (It's illegal
for staff member to disclose confidential material, but it's OK for his boss
to do it).

>How many laws, etc, can we invoke? I mean, most congresscritters don't craft
>laws on their own, so the involvement of their staff would constitute
>conspiracy, as well, wouldn't it?
>

First rule of computer self preservation: never try to hack a hacker.  Any
legal harrassment you can do to them, they can do to you.  They're better at
it, and they've got a lot more money than you do.


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--
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