The court may not be elected, but its members are nominated by the president and confirmed by Congress, which also has considerable power over the funding and operation of the federal court system.

ECONOMIST: The politics of justice

The state department said its decision had been taken in view of the MEK's public renunciation of violence, the absence of any confirmed acts of terrorism by the organisation for more than a decade and its co-operation in the closure of their paramilitary base in Iraq.

BBC: US removes Iran group MEK from terror list