US court permits lawsuit challenging searches by Federal officials on Delta flight – ACLU

WASHINGTON, Dec 15: A US federal court has allowed a lawsuit to proceed challenging federal agents’ searches of passengers on a domestic Delta Airlines flight, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement.

“A federal court has ruled that a lawsuit challenging federal agents’ search and seizure of passengers on a domestic Delta Airlines flight can proceed,” the statement said on Friday.

The ACLU and Covington & Burling LLP filed the lawsuit in October 2017 for nine passengers who were held by US Customs and Border Protection agents and required to show identity documents before they could deplane from their flight from San Francisco to New York, the statement said.

The plaintiffs argue that the US government violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Administrative Procedure Act, the release said. The lawsuit requests the court block the government from conducting such seizures and searches of domestic passengers, the statement said.
(AGENCIES)