Court denies Muslim scientist's claims
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A federal judge dismissed a claim yesterday by a Muslim scientist who argued his rights were violated when the Department of Energy revoked his security clearance, forcing him to give up his job at a nuclear warship parts plant.
The ruling means "the energy secretary has the unreviewable authority not only to revoke the clearance but also there is no means to challenge it," said Vic Walczak, the legal director for the ACLU in Pennsylvania who is representing the Egyptian-born scientist, Abdel Moniem El-Ganayni.
The secretary also has no obligation to provide prior notice that he is revoking security clearance even though it is a career-ending decision, Walczak added. This ruling will be appealed to a higher court, he said.
"The wheels of justice grind slowly. It's going to be a long haul," Mr. Walczak said. noting that Mr. El-Ganayni has been out of work for a year.
The scientist has been a U.S. citizen for 20 years, but still lost his Energy Department security clearance and then was fired in May from Bettis Laboratory in West Mifflin, where he had worked for more than 17 years.
First Published November 26, 2008 12:00 am
