Government Must Produce Waterboarding Memos, Judge Says

A Manhattan judge has ruled that the American government must either produce memos on waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods used by the CIA or explain why they should be kept secret.

A U.S. District Judge, Alvin Hellerstein, says the documents are "clearly responsive" to a lawsuit brought in October 2003 by the ACLU and other civil rights groups seeking records on the treatment of prisoners in American custody abroad.

The New York Times last year disclosed the existence of some of the Justice Department memos, saying they authorized interrogators to use methods like waterboarding, head slapping, and exposure to freezing temperatures.

The judge gave the government until October 3 to respond.

The U.S. attorney's office declined comment yesterday. A spokesman for the Justice Department in Washington said the department was reviewing the judge's order.