A federal appeals courts has dismissed a prisoner's lawsuit against controversial UC Berkeley professor John Yoo.
The law professor, who authored memos approving the use of water boarding and other intense interrogation techniques in President George W. Bush's administration, was being sued by a prisoner who was accused of conspiring to help terrorist organizations.
Wednesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Yoo could not be held liable for violating the rights of enemy combatants, such as Jose Padilla, a naturalized American citizen, because their rights had not be clearly established, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
Both the Bush and Obama administrations had moved to dismiss the case, but a court in 2009 ruled that government lawyers could be held liable for the foreseeable consequences of their legal acts.
Padilla alleged that while in U.S. detention he was shackled, deprived of sleep and held in stress positions.
