SAN FRANCISCO -- The federal government must argue its case in public against a privacy advocate who challenged a rule that requires people to show ID before boarding an airplane, an appeals court has ruled.
The Justice Department has argued that national security requires directives dealing with transportation be kept secret, and it has refused to even confirm or deny the existence of such a rule.
But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the government late Friday, attorneys involved in the case said Monday.
"It's wild that the government can't even confirm this most basic security directive that every passenger in the country knows exists," said Susan Seager, who was preparing to argue on behalf of several news organizations, including The Associated Press, against the government's bid to keep the case sealed.
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