The Obama Administration and the States Secrets Privilege One of the most important current civil liberties debates is the extent to which the Obama Administration should abandon—or continue to pursue—specific policies and legal arguments advanced by the Bush Administration. On February 9, the new Administration announced that it would maintain the same position as its predecessors with respect to the state secrets privilege and the extent to which it bars lawsuits arising out of allegations of “extraordinary rendition.” (Javascript is required to view Mediasite content)