Classified Information: Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden: A jury trial could be awkward for the Obama administration if the jurors believe Snowden is a whistle-blower who exposed government overreach. Snowden surely would try to turn the tables on the government, arguing that its right to keep information secret does not outweigh his constitutional right to speak out, according to 660 News. Administration officials say the possibility of a public spectacle wherein Snowden tries to reveal even more classified information to make his case has not lessened the Justice Departments intent to prosecute him, and Attorney General Eric Holder has not warmed to calls for clemency for the former National Security Agency systems analyst and WASHINGTON Should Edward Snowden ever return to the U.S., he would face criminal charges for leaking information about National Security Agency surveillance programs. But legal experts say a trial could expose more classified information as his lawyers try to build a case in an open court that the operations he exposed were illegal. He would no doubt bring First Amendment defences to what he did, emphasizing the public interest in his disclosures and the democratic values that he served, said David Pozen, a Columbia Law School professor and a former legal adviser at the State Department. Theres been no case quite like it. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and other basic rights. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.