Kenneth Brown
Captain
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2003
- Messages
- 3,481
A federal judge ruled Wednesday alleged terrorist suspects being detained by the U.S. at its Guantanamo Bay, Cuba facilities cannot challenge their detention in court.<br /><br />Last June the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 550 detainees being held could file suit in U.S. courts challenging their detentions. But in the first federal court ruling on the issue since then, District Judge Richard Leon said President Bush had not exceeded his war powers by ordering the detentions, USA Today reported Thursday.<br /><br />Suspected al Qaeda and Taliban operatives largely make up the detainees at Guantanamo. Leon ruled they had no constitutional or legal right to challenge their indefinite detainee status.<br /><br />Leon also said Congress had authorized Bush to capture and detain potential terrorist suspects when it authorized the war on terror.<br /><br />In a 34-page opinion, Leon said that a ruling in the detainees' favor would "unduly hinder both the president's ability to protect our country from future acts of terrorism and his ability to gather vital intelligence regarding the capability, operations and intentions of this elusive and cunning adversary."<br /><br />He ruled it is up to the president and Congress to determine how long detainees should be held, adding that the courts had no business getting involved in the issue.
