In legal battle against drone strikes, she's on the front lines
Notre Dame law professor Mary Ellen O'Connell leads a lonely campaign to stop the targeted killings in Pakistan and elsewhere, insisting they violate international law.
October 9, 2012, 3:31 a.m.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame law professor Mary Ellen O'Connell was in her office last month when Imran Khan, a former cricket star who could be Pakistan's next prime minister, phoned to ask for help.
Pakistanis are furious about the CIA's covert campaign of drone missile strikes, Khan told her. Was she aware that the CIA often doesn't know who it is killing?
"Yes, of all Americans, I think I have a pretty good handle on the facts," she replied, recounting the call.