You can’t have a democracy if the government is allowed to lie

Never mind the question of whether the government overuses its "national security" privilege to hide things that are only marginally related to national security.  If, in the name of "national security," the executive branch is allowed to lie to the judiciary, without any repercussions, then one of the fundamental checks and balances of our system is completely lost. If the government can lie to the public and to the courts without fear of any punishment, then how can we live in an effective democracy?

Reshared post from +Alex Grossman

"Should the government be allowed to lie to the courts in the name of national security? This is the question that judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will have to consider in the next few weeks.

On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) asked the full Ninth Circuit to rehear a case in which the government repeatedly lied to a federal district judge about the existence of FBI surveillance documents.

If the judges of the Ninth Circuit fail to act, there will be grave repercussions for government transparency. Federal courts provide a check on the government's abuse of power — a check that is more critical now than ever before, as individual judges decide so many fundamental questions about our rights in private, with nothing but the government's assurances to guide them. Allowing the government to lie to these very same courts — knowing that there will be no punishment if they are caught — puts the integrity of our judicial system at risk."

h/t +ACLU of Southern California