International
Herald Tribune: Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists and
engineers sued NASA and the California Institute of Technology
on Thursday, challenging extensive new background checks that
the space exploration center and other federal agencies began
requiring in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.The
lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles by 28
plaintiffs. Many have worked on such projects as the Mars
rovers, the Galileo probe to Jupiter and the Cassini mission to
Saturn, but none are involved in classified work, according to
the suit. It seeks class-action status to represent similar JPL
employees.Caltech was sued because it manages JPL for NASA and
employs its staff. The suit also named the U.S. Department of
Commerce, which is involved in promulgating federal
identification standards.
