Espionage Act

Recent leaks of classified information prompted concerned members of the Congressional House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing today to address consequences for those involved in releasing and publishing national secrets.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by a former employee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over comments a spokesman made to The New York Times.

A former CIA intelligence officer pleaded not guilty this morning to federal charges that he violated the Espionage Act by leaking classified documents to journalists.

Military prosecutors and the defense have concluded their presentation of evidence in the Article 32 hearing of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, and closing arguments will begin Thursday, the Washington Post reports.

A defendant charged with espionage for allegedly leaking "national defense information" to a news reporter has moved to have his case dismissed on First Amendment and other grounds.

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee held a hearing Thursday to address the Wikileaks controversy and discuss the future of the Espionage Act in light of demands that the government prosecute the site's founder, Julian Assange. The committee heard testimony from lawyers and advocates that stressed the importance of finding a balance between government transparency and maintaining national security secrets.

Federal prosecutors indicated today they will drop charges in the espionage case against two  lobbyists accused of unlawfully sharing American secrets with journalists and Israeli officials.