ACLU sues over NJ's terror threat list

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force New Jersey to disclose secret information about individuals and organizations the state considers potential terrorist threats.  The suit also seeks to force the state Attorney General's office to reveal the criteria it uses to make such determinations.  "We all want the police to protect us from real criminals and terrorists," said Deborah Jacobs, the ACLU's executive director in New Jersey. "But the public should be able to find out whether resources and funds established to fight terrorism are being misused to target innocent Americans who have done nothing more than criticize the government or practice their religion."  A spokesman for state Attorney General Peter Harvey had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in Superior Court in Mercer County.  The designation of individuals or organizations as "potential threat elements" was required in order to apply for federal Department of Homeland Security grants. Municipalities that applied had to list at least 15 suspect groups or individuals, the ACLU said.  The state rejected the ACLU's request for the information in October, saying protecting the state's security and intelligence-gathering capabilities outweighed the benefit of releasing the information to the public. [more]