Guantanamo/Detainees

CIA Lawyer Reportedly Given Immunity in Probe of Destroyed Interrogation Tapes

CIA lawyer John McPherson has reportedly been given immunity to testify in a probe into the destruction of videotapes showing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects. Two sources told the Washington Post that McPherson could be called to testify before a grand jury later this month or in April. McPherson had…

Mar 25, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

Supreme Court Lets Stand Order Keeping Judges Out of Gitmo Transfer Decisions

The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand an order barring federal judges from ruling on the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay. SCOTUSblog says the refusal to review the federal appeals court decision is “a significant victory for the federal government, enhancing its authority to decide when and where to…

Mar 22, 2010 2:46 PM CDT

Obama Advisers Likely to Recommend Military Trial for 9/11 Mastermind

President Obama’s advisers are about to recommend a military trial for the man who has taken credit for masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks, a published report says. Anonymous administration officials told the Washington Post that the advisers are close to completing a review of the case of 9/11 mastermind Khalid…

Mar 5, 2010 12:28 PM CST

ABA Prez Defends Lawyers Dubbed ‘Al Qaeda Seven’

Updated: ABA President Carolyn Lamm on Thursday criticized efforts to smear the reputation of Justice Department lawyers who at one point represented detainees at Guantanamo Bay. “Impugning the character of lawyers who have sought to protect the fundamental rights of unpopular clients is a divisive and diversionary tactic,” Lamm said…

Mar 4, 2010 10:10 PM CST

Obama to Help Pick Site for Khalid Sheik Mohammed Terror Trial, Military Tribunal Possible

Responding to political backlash, President Obama plans to insert himself into the decision about where to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the accused mastermind behind the 9-11 terror attacks. The president initially delegated the task of selecting a trial site to Attorney General Eric Holder in an effort to keep the…

Feb 12, 2010 11:25 AM CST

UK Court-Ordered Release of CIA Docs Summary Supports Torture Claim

An appeals court in the United Kingdom has required the British government to release an unredacted version of a seven-paragraph document summarizing U.S. intelligence information about the 2002 interrogation of a terrorism suspect subsequently detained by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay and released last year. The release of the…

Feb 10, 2010 11:15 PM CST

‘Boy Soldier’ Faces Gitmo Tribunal, Could Be First Under Obama Administration

The youngest detainee at Guantanamo Bay—Omar Khadr, who was 15 when he is alleged to have thrown a grenade that killed a U.S. Special Forces medic in Afghanistan—is a lightning rod for criticism of the Obama administration over whether it’s proper to try a child soldier. His age and circumstances…

Feb 10, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Ex-AG Mukasey: DOJ Indecision on 9-11 Trials Looks ‘Like Amateur Night’

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey slammed the Justice Department today for indecision on where to try five accused Sept. 11 plotters. In an appearance on Fox and Friends, Mukasey showed little patience when asked about an apparent flip-flop on a Manhattan venue, the Huffington Post reports. “It makes it look…

Feb 2, 2010 4:37 PM CST

Some Gitmo Detainees Will Be Held But Not Tried; Prosecution Hurdles Cited

The Obama administration has decided to continue to hold about 50 dangerous Guantanamo detainees without trial because their prosecutions are considered too difficult. There are fewer than 200 detainees still at Guantanamo, the New York Times reports. An anonymous administration official told the newspaper that about 50 detainees will continue…

Jan 22, 2010 12:34 PM CST

Meet David Raskin, Top Prosecutor Likely to Handle Case Against Accused 9/11 Mastermind

When Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other terrorism suspects arrive in New York for trial from the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, David Raskin, at least figuratively, is likely to be there to greet them. The 45-year-old assistant U.S. attorney is expected to be lead prosecutor in case…

Jan 12, 2010 10:02 PM CST

DC Circuit Upholds Broad US Power to Detain Terrorism Suspects

A federal appeals court has taken a broad view of the government’s power to detain Guantanamo terrorism suspects. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled today that the president’s power to detain terrorism suspects is not limited by international law, SCOTUSblog reports. Instead, domestic law applies. “The…

Jan 5, 2010 5:57 PM CST

4th Circuit Upholds Moussaoui Guilty Plea & Life Term in 9/11 Attacks

A federal appeals court has affirmed the conviction and life sentence for co-conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, despite claims that he didn’t receive a fair trial concerning his guilty plea to six criminal conspiracy charges in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “Moussaoui, having pled guilty, has waived all nonjurisdictional errors leading…

Jan 4, 2010 11:24 PM CST

Common Ground

The ABA and the Obama administration are thinking more alike on detainee policy

Jan 2, 2010 1:30 AM CST

New Date for Transfer of Gitmo Detainees: 2011 at the Earliest

President Obama’s Jan. 22 deadline for the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility will likely be missed by at least a year. Lack of money is the problem, the New York Times reports. Obama has decided the federal government should buy an Illinois prison to house the detainees that carries…

Dec 23, 2009 12:35 PM CST

Judge Says Street Gangs More Deadly than Some Gitmo Detainees

A federal judge speaking today at an ABA breakfast said he’s not worried about the court system’s ability to handle the trial of Guantanamo detainees. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, the chief federal judge in Washington, D.C., said street gangs are “more murderous” than some Guantanamo detainees, the Associated Press…

Dec 17, 2009 3:47 PM CST