Now that the US Justice Department's so-called "drone memo" [external PDF] is out (a remarkable result for the ACLU and New York Times that fought for its release), one might think that the US people might now be in a position at least to understand - if not agree with - the legal theories behind the Obama Administration's extra-judicial assassinations of US citizens.

Not so, writes Jameel Jaffar, who notes that not only is much of the main text redacted, but many footnotes too, leaving the distinct (though, perhaps, not wholly surprising) impression that there might exist a library of secret law germane to the ghastly policy to which the world of 'ordinary' folk is being denied access.