Military Law

Gitmo Detainee Died in Apparent Suicide

A Guantanamo detainee was found dead in his cell yesterday in an apparent suicide. The death highlights claims by detainee lawyers that the psychological condition of their clients is deteriorating, according to the New York Times. “It was simply a matter of time before this suicide,” Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, one of…

May 31, 2007 3:42 PM CDT

Dems Seek Contractor Accountability

Democrats are pushing for more prosecutions of private contractors who commit violent crimes in Iraq. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D.-Ill., is sponsoring legislation requiring the administration to publish contractor data. “There are almost as many contractors in Iraq as soldiers, and they seem to be entirely outside the reach of…

May 14, 2007 3:39 PM CDT

DOJ Won’t Limit Gitmo Lawyer Visits

The Justice Department has dropped a request to restrict lawyer visits with Guantanamo detainees, but is persisting in efforts to screen communications and limit access to evidence. DOJ lawyers said they were dropping the request for a three-visit limit in a filing yesterday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for…

May 12, 2007 3:08 PM CDT

Military Lawyer’s Career Hurt due to Gitmo Work

A Marine Corps lawyer who represented Australian David Hicks in a Guantanamo Bay case that resulted in a favorable plea deal has apparently suffered career repercussions as a result – and he is not the only one. In the aftermath of his aggressive defense of Hicks, Major Michael Mori has…

May 11, 2007 8:01 PM CDT

Bin Laden Driver Faces New Charges

New charges have been filed against a former driver for Osama bin Laden who successfully challenged Guantanamo military commissions before the U.S. Supreme Court. The government seeks life in prison for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, accusing him of acting as bin Laden’s bodyguard, according to McClatchy Newspapers. The U.S. Supreme Court…

May 11, 2007 3:51 PM CDT

U.S. Iraq Vets Make Asylum Case in Canada Court

Arguing that the U.S. war on Iraq is illegal, a Canadian lawyer is now seeking asylum there for some three dozen American soldiers who have deserted their units and fled to America’s northern neighbor. The situation may seem reminiscent of so-called draft dodgers going to Canada decades ago rather than…

May 10, 2007 1:11 AM CDT

Haditha Inquiry Focuses First on Lawyer

The military equivalent of a grand jury investigation begins today in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines at Haditha. The inquiry will focus first on Capt. Randy Stone, a battalion judge advocate accused of failing to investigate the deaths, according to National Public Radio. Stone’s lawyer claims…

May 8, 2007 6:09 PM CDT

Soldiers Losing Custody After Deployment

There are laws protecting active members of the U.S. military from being distracted by lawsuits over bad debts while they are serving their country in wartime, and to prevent spouses back home in the U.S. from being summarily evicted for falling behind on the rent. But when it comes to…

May 7, 2007 8:07 PM CDT

Groups: Israel Ignores Court, Abuses Prisoners

Despite a 1999 Israel Supreme Court ruling that bans the use of physical force during interrogations, the domestic security service there continues to mistreat and sometimes even torture prisoners, human rights groups say. In a report released Sunday, two groups contend that Palestinian detainees interrogated by Shin Bet are routinely…

May 7, 2007 6:46 PM CDT

Gitmo Detainees Reject Defense Counsel

Some detainees among the alleged enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay flatly refuse legal counsel. Others at the U.S. military prison merely refuse to open legal mail. Their rebuffs of those who seek to help them escape their indefinite detention apparently are motivated by distrust of Americans and a sense that…

May 7, 2007 11:01 AM CDT

House Fails to Override Bush Veto of War Bill

An attempt today by the U.S. House of Representatives to override President George W. Bush’s veto yesterday of a controversial Iraq war funding bill failed by a significant margin. A two-thirds majority was required to override the veto, but the vote was 222-203. The White House and Congress are now…

May 2, 2007 9:17 PM CDT

75 Gitmo Lawyers Lobby U.S. for Court Access

Some 75 attorneys representing so-called enemy combatants being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison without trials fanned out over Capital Hill today, lobbying legislators in private meetings in an effort to get their clients into U.S. court. Denouncing the current approach as “executive branch extremism” during a news conference, the…

May 2, 2007 1:08 AM CDT

The Reach of the Writ

Habeas corpus rights of Guantanamo detainees are still up in the air

May 1, 2007 11:18 AM CDT

From Fatigues to Pinstripes

Ex-military lawyers have several options in the civilian world

May 1, 2007 9:17 AM CDT

Lt. Col. E-mail in Iraq Case ‘Adulterous in Nature’

The case against a top Army commander accused of misconduct that could put him in prison for life, if convicted, began to unfold today as an Article 32 hearing began in Baghdad against Lt. Col. William H. Steele. Steele, a 51-year-old reservist from Virginia, is accused of aiding the enemy…

Apr 30, 2007 8:27 PM CDT