The Nation - News from Nov. 15, 1985

A Chicago federal judge approved a $306,250 settlement for 20 plaintiffs spied on by the police “Red Squad” and cleared the way for five others to test the constitutionality of surveillance during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. The settlement “implies what the police did was unconstitutional, but it’s not the same as an actual court decision saying that,” said Richard Gutman, an attorney who has represented the plaintiffs since their lawsuit was filed in 1974. The five plaintiffs who were not included in the settlement were selected to get a court decision on the constitutional issues. U.S. District Judge Susan Getzendanner could make a decision in weeks.