detainees

Has Liz Cheney No Sense of Decency?

Liz Cheney's group "Keep America Safe" is behind an ad that demonstrates the resurgence of McCarthy-like tactics among right-wing activists.

OPR Report Slams Bush Office of Legal Counsel

In a report released yesterday, the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility concluded that the pro-torture legal opinions produced by President Bush’s Office of Legal Counsel were the result of faulty reasoning.

White House Releases Bush Torture Memos

Yesterday, the White House released a set of torture memos drafted by the Office of Legal Counsel under the Bush Administration. The memos attempted to justify brutal treatment of detainees, including slamming subjects against wall, striking them repeatedly in the face and abdomen, confining them to small boxes, and threatening them with stinging insects.

Obama Drops "Enemy Combatant" Designation

The Obama Administration today announced that it would no longer use the designation of "enemy combatant," and will no longer use executive authority to indefinitely detain individuals. PFAW President Kathryn Kolbert issued the following statement: "Today, President Obama reversed one of the most outrageous policies of the Bush Administration. By dropping the designation of 'enemy combatant,' President Obama is taking a significant step towards reconciling our government’s actions with the principles of the Constitution. In his inaugural address, he claimed to reject the false choice between our ideals and our safety. Today he proved that he means it. I applaud his decision."

Supreme Court Takes Detainee Case

The Supreme Court today decided to hear the case of Ali al-Marri, a U.S. resident who has been held without charge by the federal government for more than five years. The case will determine whether the president can order the indefinite military detention of people living in the United States. PFAW President Kathryn Kolbert issued the following statement: "Despite its shift to the right, the Supreme Court has still proved itself willing to check the excessive power of the executive branch. I'm hopeful that the Court will stand up for the Constitution yet again, and place some meaningful limits on abuses of presidential power."

Supreme Court Rebukes Bush on Habeas Corpus in 5-4 Ruling

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Boumediene v. Bush People For the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert said, The Supreme Court has rebuked President Bush’s vision of the presidency as an office of limitless power, and declared that the president of a free nation cannot simply lock people up and throw away the key like some third-world dictator. This is a stinging blow to the administration’s lawless policies and its allies in Congress."

Supreme Court End-of-Term Analysis: 2005-06 Term

The 2005-06 term was clearly a period of transition for the Supreme Court, as Chief Justice Roberts replaced Chief Justice Rehnquist, and two justices in a sense replaced Justice O’Connor Justice Alito took her seat on the Court while Justice Kennedy replaced her as the “swing” vote in a number of closely divided cases. And while a relatively large number of the Court’s decisions this term were unanimous (generally where the Court was able to agree on a narrow approach and avoid divisive issues as in the New Hampshire abortion case), the new justices clearly pushed the Court towards the right in several important, closely divided cases.

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