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High Court: Gitmo Detainees Have Rights in Court
Supreme Court Says Foreigners at Guantanamo Have Constitutional Right to Challenge Detention
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.
In this Dec. 4, 2006 photo, reviewed by a U.S. Dept of Defense official, a guard watches over a group of detainees, who pray inside a common area at Camp Delta 4 medium security detention facility, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba.
(AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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
AJ