Tag: civil liberties

Justice Department’s History Not Worth Celebrating

Statement on H. Res. 1422, made June 24, 2010. Madam Speaker, the House of Representatives recently considered H. Res. 1422, honoring the 140th anniversary of the Department of Justice. I voted against this resolution because of the Justice Department’s history of violating individual rights. It is the Justice Department that leads the ongoing violations of … Continue reading “Justice Department’s History Not Worth Celebrating”

Peace Groups Slam High Court Ruling on ‘Terror Support’

In the wake of Monday’s Supreme Court decision upholding a law making it a crime to provide any “material support” to an organization designated as a “terrorist” by the U.S. government, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter charged that the law “actually threatens our work and the work of many other peacemaking organizations that must interact … Continue reading “Peace Groups Slam High Court Ruling on ‘Terror Support’”

Indefinite Detention at Gitmo Criticized as ‘Legal Nihilism’

A new U.S. government report is recommending that 48 men currently detained at Guantanamo Bay should be held indefinitely without trial because “for many of the detainees, there are no witnesses who are available to testify in any proceeding against them.”But authorities who follow the tortuous fortunes of Guantanamo say there is another reason: The … Continue reading “Indefinite Detention at Gitmo Criticized as ‘Legal Nihilism’”

Rights Groups Condemn Ruling on Bagram Detainees

Human rights advocates are expressing shock at a federal court ruling that detainees held by the United States in Afghanistan do not have the right to challenge their detention in a U.S. federal court – and dismay that their path to a successful appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court may be blocked.A lawyer for the … Continue reading “Rights Groups Condemn Ruling on Bagram Detainees”

House Kills Plan to Close Guantánamo

President Obama’s hopes of closing Guantánamo, which were already gravely wounded by his inability to meet his self-imposed deadline of a year for the prison’s closure, now appear to have been killed off by lawmakers in Congress. Although the House Armed Services Committee was happy to authorize, by 59 votes to 0, a budget of … Continue reading “House Kills Plan to Close Guantánamo”

Being Muslim Is No Crime

How convenient that there are Muslims in America. How much harder it would be for the government to increase its power, while abridging more general liberties, if they didn’t exist. A radical Islamic preacher, who also happens to be an American citizen, is now hiding out somewhere in Yemen inciting violence against this country. What’s … Continue reading “Being Muslim Is No Crime”

The World Is Kagan’s Battlefield

The nomination of Elena Kagan has opened up a public debate on her qualifications, her public record (or lack of it), and even her sexual orientation. I will deal with none of these here. Normally, this space would not be concerned with the merits of a particular nomination to the Supreme Court, but is it … Continue reading “The World Is Kagan’s Battlefield”

Judge Rules Yemeni’s Detention at Guantánamo Based Solely on Torture

On Feb. 24, as I reported in "The Black Hole of Guantánamo," Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. granted the habeas corpus petition of Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman, a Yemeni who was seized crossing the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan in December 2001. In the absence of the judge’s unclassified opinion explaining why he had … Continue reading “Judge Rules Yemeni’s Detention at Guantánamo Based Solely on Torture”

The Two-Guantanamo Solution

It all began in Afghanistan (the War on Terror, of course). It was there as well that, in late 2001, the Bush administration first “took the gloves off,” a phrase its top officials then loved to use. So the first torture and abuse of prisoners, including the use of dogs to intimidate, took place there … Continue reading “The Two-Guantanamo Solution”

Guantanamo Detainee Ordered Freed

After nine years in captivity, a U.S. federal court has ordered the release of a Guantanamo prisoner once described as the "highest-value detainee at the facility" – and set off a firestorm of protest from Republican lawmakers. Federal District Judge James Robertson ruled in Washington, D.C., that the U.S. could not continue to detain Mohamedou … Continue reading “Guantanamo Detainee Ordered Freed”