SALT LAKE CITY ― Today, when U.S. intelligence agencies believe they know the location of a terrorist in Pakistan and a few other countries, they are largely free to deploy a weapon that’s become the symbol of war on terror: an aerial drone.
The drone drops a bomb or fires a missile that executes the suspect.
University of Utah law professor Amos Guiora is pushing for another step before the U.S. government or military could decide to kill a terror suspect with a drone.
In a proposal to be published in 2015, Guiora and a colleague are pushing for what they call a “drone court.”
The court would be part of the judiciary branch and hear arguments for why the United States should target a suspect with a drone strike. A lawyer from the government would make an argument to a judge.
“The idea here is to create a robust judicial review of the executive branch,” Guiora said, “and the best way to do that is indeed with the court we are recommending.”
An opposing lawyer would represent the suspect, or suspects, in absentia. If the judge believes the government has met its burden, it would approve the drone strike.
