Reading Room Document
October 23, 2001 OLC Opinion Addressing the Domestic Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities
This opinion reverses an October 23, 2001 OLC opinion on the domestic use of military force against terrorist activities. The prior opinion had concluded that military necessities may override the Fourth Amendment, First Amendment (speech and press rights), and other guarantees of individual liberty. In this opinion, the OLC admits that some of these propositions were incorrect or highly questionable. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at https://justice.gov/olc/docs/memoolcopiniondomesticusemilitaryforce10062008.pdf.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit