Awlaki: First U.S. Citizen Assassinated?

Anwar al-Awlaki may have been the first U.S. citizen targeted for killing by the government. Back in April of 2010, when the Obama administration authorized the killing of Awlaki, officials told The New York Times that they were not aware of any similar case. In August 2010 civil liberties groups representing Awlaki's father filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, charging that the targeting of Awlaki violated his constitutional rights. A federal judge threw out the case, ruling that Awlaki's father lacked standing. Salon blogger Glenn Greenwald writes that with the death of Awlaki, “The due-process-free assassination of U.S. citizens is now a reality.”