Monday, September 19, 2005

Roberts and Guantanamo

Curious events are happening surrounding the Supreme Court and Judge John Roberts but they are not what you would expect.
They have to deal with the terrorism suspects on war crimes charges at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The terrorist suspects are apparently being charged with war crimes. The proceedings were brought to a screeching halt in November, 2004 when a federal district judge ruled they violated domestic law and the international treaty obligations of the United States.
The court interpreted the international treaty obligations as saying the US must treat the Guantánamo detainees as prisoners of war unless a Geneva Conventions special tribunal determines they are not.
P.O.W’s charged with war crimes are to be tried by court-martial not by a military commission.
In July, 2005, an appellate panel made up of three judges, one of which was John G. Roberts Jr., nominee to the Supreme Court, unanimously decided against the district court.
The case was then appealed to the Supreme Court for review. If the case is given the go-ahead and the appeal declined then the proceedings will continue.
It will put the United States government in the questionable light of having John G. Roberts, who made a ruling, then become one of the Justices that would be responsible for confirming his own ruling.
The insidious nature of the crimes with which the defendants have been charged has helped to obscure the major role that Judge John Roberts has played in the process.
Skipping judges around is a trick of dictatorships.

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