(WASHINGTON) A federal judge overseeing Guantanamo Bay lawsuits ordered the Justice Department to put other cases aside and make it clear throughout the Bush administration that, after nearly seven years of detention, the detainees must have their day in court.

"The time has come to move these forward," Judge Thomas F. Hogan said Tuesday during the first hearing over whether the detainees are being held lawfully. "Set aside every other case that's pending in the division and address this case first."

The Bush administration hoped it would never come to this. The Justice Department has fought for years to keep civilian judges from reviewing evidence against terrorism suspects. But a Supreme Court ruling last month opened the courthouse doors to the detainees.

Hogan is coordinating most of the estimated 200 Guantanamo Bay cases on behalf of most of the Washington federal judges. He will decide how quickly the Justice Department must turn over the evidence against the detainees.


The Justice Department is asking for about eight weeks to start doing so. It is dramatically expanding the litigation team handling the cases and is asking for time to get the new attorneys brought up to speed, settled in their new offices and approved to handle the classified evidence.

It also wants time to update and add to the evidence that was originally used to justify holding the detainees.

Lawyers for the detainees adamantly oppose that move and Hogan was skeptical of the plan. If the evidence was enough to warrant holding the detainees for six years, he said he didn't understand why it suddenly needs to be changed.

"If it wasn't sufficient, then they shouldn't have been picked up," Hogan said, adding that he probably would make the government explain any proposed change.

A schedule has not been set but it appears judges could begin reviewing evidence in September. If judges find the evidence lacking, they could order detainees released, but the Bush administration would decide where to send them. Judges do not generally have authority to bring detainees into the U.S., despite White House assertions that the court process could release terrorists onto U.S. streets.

Shayana Kadidal, another attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, said he doubts most detainees ever get that far. He predicted that once judges order the evidence is made available, the Bush administration would try to release as many detainees as possible to prevent judges from scrutinizing it.

In those cases in which evidence is reviewed, judges will decide how much weight to give the government's evidence, which in many situations will include unidentified sources and hearsay.

A federal appeals court recently scrutinized the case of a Chinese Muslim and found the evidence lacking. The court said the detainee must be released. Susan Baker Manning, an attorney in that case, said she expects district court judges to be similarly skeptical of the government's evidence.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/145076


Typical Bush Administration.
They think they are above the law, and given time they will attempt to mock justice with cover-ups, excuses, and lies!!

Pretty soon the Occupation is going to try to take away our right to Habeau Corpus. Not that it isnt a sham anyway

The Republicans are out of control!

patriot act did that already

No...republicans are not out of control...they are trying to keep our country safe from terrorists.

It's people like the ACLU who are out of control. Using our freedoms to bring destruction on us. What happened to freedom WITH responsibility? Sometimes discretion is neccessary.

I wonder what you are going to do when there's no one around to do the heavy lifting for yu? OH! I know! You'll have to actually think YOUR way out of the problem.... Now there's a concept!

I'm betting you would come up with the same ideas we did. It's too easy to be the back seat driver. It's another to have the responsiblity to actually do the driving.

The only thing counter culture anti Americanism will do is destroy our nation & its freedoms.

the govt is power hungry and becoming even more overbearing

the people need to realize that the republicans and democrats
have the same agenda

just different routes to get there

this country is no where near as free as it was 30 years ago

how many liberties will YOU give up for a FALSE since of security

Please!! stop,,,

Republicans are the terrorist! Domestic for us, International for the world!



Counter culture?
This coming from one of the 28% who support your precious leaders decisions?



Can you say Republican's are delusional??

9 Percent Approval, first time in history of single digits ever for the US government, and Congress took the prize.

The Republicans are keeping us safe from terrorists? Why didn't they notice that there were no terrorists threatening us in Iraq?

I think, therefore, I am Democrat.

Ummm... Democrats authorized too, so doesn't that crush the "I think, therefore, I am Democrat". Granted I am a Democrat as well, but I'm not going to belittle and demonize a large sect of our population. That's childish and foolish. How old are you again?

Why is it the older and 'wiser' people in this forum resort to the most childish and unsubstantiated attacks, often personal and belittling to others? Shouldn't that be something us 'young-ins' do, include posting stuff we pulled out of nowhere as well as lacking concise, well thoughtout arguments? It seems both sides of the aisle here, the older you are, the more rude, angry, and hostile you are towards others and fill entire posts with childish emotion icons. It's ridiculous.

Right on! Republicans & Democrats are like Pepsi & Coke slightly different flavor, but basiclly the same stuff.

You're funny.

I wasn't being rude to anybody but you are now being rude to me.

Yes, the Democrats voted on it too. But..I believe that everybody was lied to.

I still like the saying, "I think, there, I am Democrat." It has a nice ring to it. Btw, it was in reply to the comment she made about thinking being a new concept.

You can read my age on my profile.

Btw, your large ego and lack of maturity are showing.

Prove it!
This is a lie!

Claiming me a liar without first making sure you weren't setting yourself out to be made out to be a foolish shill once again: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance/congressional_performance

See,
It just proves you are a NeoCon, up to NeoCon tactics of debate!

What the article says, (your link)

This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category.


OK, Rasmussen does a piss poor job of polling to begin with!
Proof- 52 plus 9 equals 61%. Anyway you add it. (only one way I know how)
That still leaves 39% they left floating out there in space somewhere!
Hmmmmm, I'll bet that 39% said they are doing OK. Not excellent, not poor! Rassmussen just chose not to report them because if they did not report them it gives the NeoCon immpression (their goal) that only 9 % think Congress is doing an "excellent" job!

Now, back to school.
39 plus 9 equals 48%. 48% who believe the Democrats with a 1 person majority in the Senate and not much more than that in the House, are doing an OK job! (not excellent, not poor)
That my friend is just about par with every other poll I have seen!
Now, don't you feel like a fool??
Or would that be a NeoCon who is distorting the numbers!!!

It is actually only 36% that think Congress is doing "Fair" and that is the lowest rating above the 52% that think Congress is doing poor. Look on the top right of the report on the site and you'll see the breakdown.

Rasmussen has more ratings than other polls. Most have three, one of those being "Unsure". Rasmussen has 4 ratings, Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor. It is going to be more divided. But, you have to assume an "Unsure" in there somewhere, since he does not have that category. Where do those people fall? You don't know.

Whatever the case, approval is absolutely dismal. Lowest in history.

To add:

From Gallup, and this is all the way back in May:

"Congress' Approval Rating Ties Lowest in Gallup Records" http://www.gallup.com/poll/107242/Congress-Approval-Rating-Ties-Lowest-Gallup-Records.aspx

In that May one, Bush 29% and Congress 18% approval. And, just wait for the next Gallup poll. Bush has been on a rise in approval while it is Congress that has been in a very steady decline. And, I have a feeling the trend will continue.

In May already 57% of the US population supported drilling. (very interesting info in the full report as well) - http://www.gallup.com/poll/108121/Majority-Americans-Support-Drilling-OffLimits-Areas.aspx

With Bush supporting it and Congress opposing it I think it will reflect in the polls as well. That was May as well, gas has jumped since then quite significantly.

You Also forgot to mention this,

Democrats continue to lead Republicans by double-digits in the Rasmussen Reports generic congressional ballot. When given the choice, 47% of voters nationwide would vote for their district’s Democratic candidate, while 34% would choose their Republican candidate.

Among voters who see economic issues as the most important in the upcoming election, 58% would vote Democratic while just 25% would vote Republican. A separate national survey found that the economy is a very important issue to 81% of voters. On voters who see national security issues as more important, the Republicans have a 53% to 34% advantage. National security is a very important issue for 68% of voters.

As would I, my Congressional District is good with Democrats. That doesn't take away from the facts that a majority think Congress as a whole is absolutely horrible as well as large numbers think that they are doing a very dismal, yet 'fair' performance. "Fair" is pretty much the "I didn't expect anything different but the norm" category.

How would you rate the way Congress is doing its job?

Excellent
2%

Good
7%

Fair
36%

Poor
52%

OK,
45% think Congress does at least a fair job!
That's a far cry from your claim of 9%!