Opinion
Published on February 26, 2013
Op-ed by Gabor Rona.
After many years of trying in vain to find the line between lawful and unlawful court-ordered killing, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun threw up his hands. “From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death,” he said, dissenting in a 1994 capital punishment case.
What does this have to do with drone attacks? Justice Blackmun was speaking about a man who had been charged, convicted, and sentenced for a crime established by a democratically elected legislature. Killing in war, on the other hand, generally involves no judicial process. And that’s perfectly legal if done in accordance with the laws of war.
