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SCOTUS Grants Guantanamo Prisoners Habeas Corpus

Posted by kdawson on from the prove-it dept.

beebee and other readers sent word that the US Supreme Court has, by a 5 to 4 majority, ruled that the Constitution applies at Guantanamo. Accused terrorists can now go to federal court to challenge their continued detention (the right to habeas corpus), meaning that civil judges will now have the power to check the government's designation of Gitmo detainees as enemy combatants. This should remedy one of the major issues Human Rights activists have with the detention center. However, Gitmo is unlikely to close any time soon. The NYTimes reporting on the SCOTUS decision goes into more detail on the vigor of the minority opinion. McClatchy reports the outrage the decision has caused on the right, with one senator calling for a Constitutional amendment "to blunt the effect of this decision."

2 of 1,065 comments (clear)

  1. Did anyone else... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Did anyone else first misread the acronym in the title as "SCROTUM"?

  2. Re:Sudden? by daemonburrito · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I agree... But just for information: The reporters in question had watched the death of a colleague on live television. (Death by A-10).

    It's in the documentary, IIRC.

    The film is worth a viewing.