Judge Orders Release of Unlawfully Held Uighur Prisoners

Well, it’s about goddamn time: In a dramatic setback for the Bush administration, a federal judge ordered the U.S. government Tuesday to immediately transfer to the U.S. and release 17 Chinese-born Muslims detained for seven years at Guantanamo. Reading his decision from the bench, Judge Ricardo...

Hamdan Gets 5.5 Years (Plus Time Served)

Carol Rosenberg of The Miami Herald reports from beautiful, sunny Guantanamo Bay: In a stunning rebuke, a six-member U.S. military jury Thursday ignored a Pentagon prosecutor’s plea for a 30 years-plus term and ordered Osama bin Laden’s driver to 66 months in prison. With credit for time served...

Hamdan Guilty of ‘Material Support’, Acquitted of More Serious Conspiracy Charges

Hey, it only took seven years, but justice has finally been perverted served: Salim Hamdan was found guilty of providing material support for terrorism at a Guantanamo military commission today, but acquitted of the more serious charge of conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks and murder American soldiers....

On Kangaroo Courts and Dry Runs: Hamden is Ready For His Close-Up

Tomorrow marks an historic occasion: the first military commission trial of a so-called ‘enemy combatant’ in the War on Terror is scheduled to take place at beautiful, sunny Guantanamo.  And Osama Bin Laden’s chauffeur–a prime example of “the worst of the worst”, IMO–is the lucky duck who’s been given the...

In Which matttbastard Puts the Habeas Decision in a Partisan Context

Ages of the majority: Stevens 88 Ginsburg 75 Kennedy 71 Breyer 69 Souter 68 Ages of the minority: Scalia 72 Thomas 60 Alito 58 Roberts 55 The LA Times: Whoever is elected in November will probably have the chance to appoint at least one justice in the next presidential term. The court’s two most...