“ABA to Continue Fight Over Detainee Rights”

Excellent news for supporters of habeas corpus:

"The American Bar Association [PDF link] said last week it will continue to challenge key provisions of a federal bill authorizing military tribunals to try terrorism suspects, even though the legislation ultimately passed by a lopsided margin in the Senate.

"ABA members say they are most concerned about sections of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that deny judicial review of habeas corpus claims filed on behalf of ‘enemy combatants’ being held at facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other locations.

"’It’s a sweeping denial of habeas, so that any alien who is detained by the U.S. can be detained forever without any hope of ever getting to a court. That’s just wrong,’ said Neal Sonnett, a Miami attorney who chairs the ABA’s Task Force on Treatment of Enemy Combatants [PDF link]."