10 Lawmakers File Suit Challenging President On Libya

By Eyder Peralta

Published June 15, 2011 at 2:30 PM EDT

A bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers is asking a judge for an order suspending military operations without congressional approval in Libya.

The AP reports that the lawsuit, helmed by Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.), contends that Obama "violated the Constitution in bypassing Congress and using international organizations like the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to authorize military force."

This comes a day after House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) sent a letter to the president pressing him to comply with the War Powers Resolution. The AP reports that the White House will send Congress a report, today, answering questions about the objectives of the U.S. operation in Libya and addressing some of the lawmakers' questions.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Kucinich said he believes the president violated the law.

"We have asked the courts to move to protect the American people from the results of these illegal policies," the Times quotes Kucinich as saying.

The AP adds that the administration's report is more than 30 pages long and includes legal analysis that concludes, "the Libya campaign has been consistent with the War Powers Resolution."

There's a copy of the War Powers Resolution posted here.

Update at 3:30 p.m. ET. Administration Says It Does Not Need Congressional Approval:

The AP says that in its report to Congress, the Obama administration argues it does not need Congressional approval for U.S. military action in Libya, because the U.S. is playing a support role.

The AP adds:

Senior administration officials say the White House believes that because U.S. forces are not engaged in sustained fighting and there are no troops on the ground in Libya, the president has the authority to direct the mission.