The state secrets privilege is an evidentiary rule created by United States legal precedent. Application of the privilege results in exclusion of evidence from a legal case based solely on affidavits submitted by the government stating that court proceedings might disclose sensitive information which might endanger national security. United States v. Reynolds, which involved military secrets, was the first case that saw formal recognition of the privilege. You can read the full background and history of this ‘rule’ on wikipedia if you would like a more comprehensive understanding of it. The Obama administration’s use of this rule was rather interesting when taking into consideration all of their actions promoting transparency to earn the trust of the public. Barack Obama set the stage on the first of the year in 2009 with an executive memorandum about Transparency and Open Government.   Later that year, on September 23, 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder established NEW state secrets and policies procedures to rebuild the…