Judge Upholds Detainee Rights Terror Law

[Soldier4Christ]

    A federal judge upheld the Bush administration’s new terrorism law Wednesday, agreeing that Guantanamo Bay detainees do not have the right to challenge their imprisonment in U.S. courts.

    The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Robertson is the first to address the new Military Commissions Act and is a legal victory for the Bush administration at a time when it has been fending off criticism of the law from Democrats and libertarians.

    Robertson rejected a legal challenge by Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden whose case prompted the Supreme Court to strike down the Bush administration’s policy on detainees last year.

    Following Hamdan’s victory, Bush asked for and got a new law that established military commissions to try enemy combatants and stripped them of the right to seek their freedom in U.S. courts.

    Hamdan’s case was sent back before Robertson, a nominee of President Clinton who was a prominent civil rights advocate in private practice.

    Though Robertson originally sided with Hamdan, he said that he no longer had jurisdiction to hear Hamdan’s case because Congress clearly intended to keep such disputes out of federal courts. He said foreigners being held in overseas military prisons do not have the right to challenge their detention, a right people inside the country normally enjoy.

[jgarden]

Ironically, these are some of the same "freedom fighters" that the Reagan Administration armed and supported when they were "terrorizing" the Russians in Afghanistan.

[nChrist]

Ironically, these are some of the same "freedom fighters" that the Reagan Administration armed and supported when they were "terrorizing" the Russians in Afghanistan.

Things do change. Unfortunately, it's impossible to look into the future and have much of an idea what a group or nation will do or not do tomorrow, much less years from now.

[Soldier4Christ]

Yes, things do change and quite drastically. The U.S. at that time were supporting a group that we thought was attempting to set up a democracy and were fighting against a very oppressive and ruthless Marxist government. Russia was supporting that Marxist government.

Unfortunately a government that was just as evil took over. Foresight is never as good as hindsight.