Good News II

Holy Smoke! Many kudos to this judge who let the government do its job.

A U.S. federal judge on Thursday upheld a government decision to refuse a prominent Swiss Muslim entry into the United States, saying the question of denying visas was best left to the authorities [good for him! - ed].

The United States had revoked the visa of Tariq Ramadan, an academic at Britain’s Oxford University and a vocal critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its support of Israel.

The State Department initially gave no reason, but later said Ramadan had been barred under a provision of the USA Patriot Act that bars anyone who endorses terrorism. In October the American Civil Liberties Union denied this and argued Ramadan’s exclusion was therefore unlawful.

But U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty sided with U.S. government lawyers who argued the courts did not have the power to review visa denials. “The government has provided a facially legitimate and bona fide reason for Professor Ramadan’s exclusion,” Crotty said.