Military Commissions
184 Articles

Guantanamo’s COVID-19 Precautions Must Safeguard Detainees’ Rights
Even if the virus does not reach the detainees, some of the precautions that Guantanamo is taking could at once undermine detainees’ rights, including access to counsel, and…

Guantanamo’s Ugly Taint on U.S. Diplomacy
Watching the Guantanamo proceedings from behind the courtroom's safety glass brings to mind a different prison, halfway around the world, in Egypt.

9/11 Case: Military Commission Convening Authority to Be Called as a Witness as to His Own Bias
W. Shane Cohen, the current judge presiding over the 9/11 case at Guantánamo Bay, has ordered the compulsion of testimony from the Office of Military Commissions’ convening…

“With a Little Help from Our Friends”: Prosecuting the ISIL “Beatles” in U.S. Courts
Civilian prosecution in U.S. courts remains by far the best option for reliably bringing the two ISIL detainees in U.S. custody to justice. The DoJ should look closely at whether…

18 Years After 9/11, Why Is Guantánamo Still Open?
That a child born on that day the planes hit would by now have gained the right to vote, but there has yet to be a trial of the alleged attackers, serves to highlight how painfully…

Deprivation and Despair: The Crisis of Medical Care at Guantánamo
The Center for Victims of Torture, along with Physicians for Human Rights, released a joint report today finding that Guantánamo’s medical care system has long been broken in…

For the Military Commissions, a Fork in the Road on Torture
“It’s time for everyone to admit that the Guantanamo military commissions have failed.” That’s what Steve Vladeck wrote last month in a characteristically excellent post discussing…

The September 11 Military Commissions Trudge On
Nearly two decades after the September 11 attacks, we are still waiting for justice to be administered to the majority of the Al Qaeda suspects being held at Guantanamo—including…

Brett Kavanaugh and the Risk of a Return to Torture
Brett Kavanaugh, holds a stark view of the role of international law, which could threaten the protection of fundamental human rights, including the right not to be tortured.

What the Heck is Happening in Al-Nashiri?: The Ten-Layer Dip at the Heart of the Latest Guantánamo Mess
It’s hard to imagine a better microcosm of everything that’s gone wrong with the Guantánamo military commissions than the current headaches arising out of the prosecution…

The Future of the US Military Commissions: Legal and Policy Issues
The American Bar Association releases significant new report on fate of military commissions at Guantanamo. Judge Jamie Baker and Laura Dickinson served on the Committee and highlight…

Episode 60 of the National Security Podcast: TL;DL – This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
An over-long episode with a short title to reflect a very busy–and somewhat bizarre–eight day stretch in the wide world of national security law. This week, your hosts Professor…