Why you should not talk to the police
Supreme Court backs rights for Guantanamo detainees
Supreme Court says foreigners at Guantanamo have constitutional right to challenge detention
Staff AP News - Jun 12, 2008 09:18 EST
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.
The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5-4, with the court's liberal justices in the majority.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."
It was not immediately clear whether this ruling, unlike the first two, would lead to prompt hearings for the detainees, some who have been held more than 6 years. Roughly 270 men remain at the island prison, classified as enemy combatants and held on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The administration opened the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to hold enemy combatants, people suspected of ties to al-Qaida or the Taliban.
The Guantanamo prison has been harshly criticized at home and abroad for the detentions themselves and the aggressive interrogations that were conducted there.
The court said not only that the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate.
The administration had argued first that the detainees have no rights. But it also contended that the classification and review process was a sufficient substitute for the civilian court hearings that the detainees seek.
In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts criticized his colleagues for striking down what he called "the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants."
Supreme Court says foreigners at Guantanamo have constitutional right to challenge detention
Staff AP News - Jun 12, 2008 09:18 EST
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.
The justices handed the Bush administration its third setback at the high court since 2004 over its treatment of prisoners who are being held indefinitely and without charges at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The vote was 5-4, with the court's liberal justices in the majority.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."
It was not immediately clear whether this ruling, unlike the first two, would lead to prompt hearings for the detainees, some who have been held more than 6 years. Roughly 270 men remain at the island prison, classified as enemy combatants and held on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The administration opened the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to hold enemy combatants, people suspected of ties to al-Qaida or the Taliban.
The Guantanamo prison has been harshly criticized at home and abroad for the detentions themselves and the aggressive interrogations that were conducted there.
The court said not only that the detainees have rights under the Constitution, but that the system the administration has put in place to classify them as enemy combatants and review those decisions is inadequate.
The administration had argued first that the detainees have no rights. But it also contended that the classification and review process was a sufficient substitute for the civilian court hearings that the detainees seek.
In dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts criticized his colleagues for striking down what he called "the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants."
From Huffington Post
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
The Legal Framework for the Prosecution
That the king can do no wrong is a necessary and fundamental principle of the English constitution. -Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, 1765
No living Homo sapiens is above the law. -(Notwithstanding our good friends and legal ancestors across the water, this is a fact that requires no citation.)
With respect to the position I take about the crimes of George Bush, I want to state at the outset that my motivation is not political. Although I've been a longtime Democrat (primarily because, unless there is some very compelling reason to be otherwise, I am always for "the little guy"), my political orientation is not rigid. For instance, I supported John McCain's run for the presidency in 2000. More to the point, whether I'm giving a final summation to the jury or writing one of my true crime books, credibility has always meant everything to me. Therefore, my only master and my only mistress are the facts and objectivity. I have no others. This is why I can give you, the reader, a 100 percent guarantee that if a Democratic president had done what Bush did, I would be writing the same, identical piece you are about to read. read more..
The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
The Legal Framework for the Prosecution
That the king can do no wrong is a necessary and fundamental principle of the English constitution. -Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, 1765
No living Homo sapiens is above the law. -(Notwithstanding our good friends and legal ancestors across the water, this is a fact that requires no citation.)
With respect to the position I take about the crimes of George Bush, I want to state at the outset that my motivation is not political. Although I've been a longtime Democrat (primarily because, unless there is some very compelling reason to be otherwise, I am always for "the little guy"), my political orientation is not rigid. For instance, I supported John McCain's run for the presidency in 2000. More to the point, whether I'm giving a final summation to the jury or writing one of my true crime books, credibility has always meant everything to me. Therefore, my only master and my only mistress are the facts and objectivity. I have no others. This is why I can give you, the reader, a 100 percent guarantee that if a Democratic president had done what Bush did, I would be writing the same, identical piece you are about to read. read more..
From WRH: Another convenient hanging
"I am going to be suicided"
Sadly, I was not shocked to hear Thursday's news that former DC madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey -recently convicted on prostitution charges - was found dead, at the end of a nylon rope, in a shed on her mother's property down in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Florida. Man, what a state. From the Pensacola to the Keys - corruption to the "nth" degree. Need to fix elections? Go to Florida. Need to train CIA operatives to fly
suicide missions? Go to Florida. Need to use an international airport as a drop-off point for your multi-million dollar drug shipments? Go to Florida. Need to conveniently murder a woman connected to a case involving high-profile government officials who like it kinky? Go to Florida. It's no surprise that a Bush was recently a governor of the Sunshine State. more
"I am going to be suicided"
Sadly, I was not shocked to hear Thursday's news that former DC madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey -recently convicted on prostitution charges - was found dead, at the end of a nylon rope, in a shed on her mother's property down in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Florida. Man, what a state. From the Pensacola to the Keys - corruption to the "nth" degree. Need to fix elections? Go to Florida. Need to train CIA operatives to fly
suicide missions? Go to Florida. Need to use an international airport as a drop-off point for your multi-million dollar drug shipments? Go to Florida. Need to conveniently murder a woman connected to a case involving high-profile government officials who like it kinky? Go to Florida. It's no surprise that a Bush was recently a governor of the Sunshine State. more
Secret DOJ Memo Says Fourth Amendment Has "No Application" After 9/11
For those of you who don't know, the 4th Amendment prohibits police and government from performing illegal searches to incriminate you against charges. For instance, they can't just search your car or home for no reason. read
For those of you who don't know, the 4th Amendment prohibits police and government from performing illegal searches to incriminate you against charges. For instance, they can't just search your car or home for no reason. read
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