Silly me. I thought the Supreme Court held the trump card.A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed lawsuits by seven foreigners held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The judge ruled that suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives there have no constitutional right to challenge the legality of their indefinite detentions.The Supreme Court said last June that the 550 detainees at Guantanamo could file lawsuits in U.S. courts to challenge their detentions.In the first federal court ruling on the issue since then, District Judge Richard Leon said President Bush had not exceeded his war powers by ordering the detentions.
Leon said Congress had authorized Bush to capture and detain prisoners in the war on terrorism. In a 34-page opinion, Leon said that a ruling in the detainees' favor would "unduly hinder both the president's ability to protect our country from future acts of terrorism and his ability to gather vital intelligence regarding the capability, operations and intentions of this elusive and cunning adversary."
The judge said it is up to the president and Congress to determine how long detainees should be held, and under what conditions. The courts, he said, have no business delving into such issues.
USA Today article
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Federal Judge overrules the Supreme Court
Shouldn't this guy be defrocked?
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