U.S. Supreme Court Bars Bush's Military Tribunals Anywhere in the World
June 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President George W. Bush lacks authority to try Guantanamo Bay inmates before military tribunals, a blow to the administration's anti-terrorism strategy that scales back executive wartime powers. The justices, voting 5-3, said Congress hadn't expressly authorized the military commissions. The justices also said the tribunals violate the Geneva Conventions and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which guarantees such protections as the right to be present at trial.
The ruling is a major political and legal setback for Bush, scuttling plans to try three dozen Guantanamo inmates before tribunals. The ruling also boosts suits challenging the incarceration of hundreds of other detainees. It's a victory for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden accused of conspiracy.Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican from Tennessee, said he will introduce legislation authorizing tribunals with ``appropriate due process procedures for trials of terrorist combatants.''
The U.S. is holding 450 inmates at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, most of them captured in Afghanistan during the 2001 war against the Taliban. Bush is facing increasing international pressure over Guantanamo in the aftermath of three inmate suicides earlier this month.
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