Friday, June 7, 2019

Guantanamo Bay and Habeas Corpus Essay Example for Free

Guantanamo call for and Habeas star EssaySince September 11, 2001, Americans have faced a y byhful confrontation that is non distinguishable by conventional terms of the law of contend. As a endpoint of this fact, the detention of these competitor forces has brought about a hulking debate among, mostly, the Executive branch and the Supreme salute. At the center of the debate is the pay offs of the opponent live onees. The Supreme Court argues that because their detention is at a location that is chthonic the complete control of the join States, their rights are blanketed under the intermission Clause of the Constitution and as such, they should be granted the right to seek Habeas Corpus. The Executives brinytain that flagitious confrontation combatants have no rights under the Constitution of the coupled States and that the Pre rampnt retains honorable control over their detention.This paper will look at the side and American background of Habeas Corpus and h ow it plays into the landscape of war today. I will also briefly look at past suspensions of the writ, as well as the perspectives of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches and how the writ applies to alien enemy combatants. I will also offer my own perspective on the same. Quite simply put, an unlawful enemy combatant caught fighting against the United States oversees and brought to a location that the U.S. does not have sove harnessty over, should not be afforded the same rights as the citizens and alien residents of our great people that they fight against.The Great Writ of Habeas Corpus has its roots in English Common Law dating back as early as the thirteenth century. The literal meaning in Latin is to have the body which quite basic entirelyy obliged that the jailor bring the accused before a coquette (the Kings Bench) to determine if his detainment and confinement was lawful. In fact, the writ was meant to regulate jailors, resolve issues with jurisdiction and mo nitor the powers of the magistrates (Halliday, J.D., 2010). It was not a tool used to divulge the prisoner, but a tool of governance.When the writ traversed the Atlantic Ocean and came to America, it was, and still is, considered the most important safeguard ofpersonal liberty. Habeas Corpus is protected in the Constitution of the United States in Article 1, Section 9 wherein it states The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public sentry duty may affect it (Levin-Waldman, 2012). From its inception in the United States, Habeas has remained close unchanged. The Writ has only been suspended by the President and authorized by coitus quartet times in Americas history with the root instance when President Lincoln suspended it during the Civil struggle in order to detain opposing forces who were attempting to pr so fart troops trying to protect the Capital. Since then, it was used by Grant in the Ku Klux Klan Act, the rebellion in 1902 and in 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor (Jackson, 2010).Even during these times the suspension was lifted once the war or threat thereof was over (Langford, 2003) and those detained as a result were either released or tried and convicted. It wasnt until the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 where terrorist agents used commercial airplanes as weapons of mass destruction to kill thousands of innocent civilians in spite of appearance the borders of the United States that the issue of the suspension of Habeas Corpus came to the forefront once again. After the attacks, telling wrote the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), which granted the President to use all necessary and appropriate forceagainst all nations, persons, operatives, etc. involved in the plotting and execution of the September 11th attacks (Piret, 2008). It is well known that the Presidents first priority is that of Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in times of stat e of war. After the horrific attacks in 2001, President Bush declared a struggle on Terror.This type of war has no precedence in history in which to go by it consists of unconventional fighters using unconventional methods of attacks strange whatever seen under the law of war. As a result of these circumstances, it was crucial for the President to initiate his wartime authority to detain belligerents fighting against the United States and her allies and detain them in a location in order to protect the nations security against future attacks. The President unilaterally labelled these detainees as unlawful enemy combatants- persons who did not wear uniforms of a nation or state, carry conventional weapons, or direct their assaults strictly on armed forces- which is the definition given to prisoners of war (POWs) (Acharya, 2012). collectible to the vast allocation of the military machines as coiffes and service members fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the President needed a locat ion to detain these combatants away from the battlefield, Guantanamo Bay or GITMO. GITMO is a military location in Cuba that the United States has had an open-ended lease for since 1903. According to the Bush administration, this location was ideal because the area was under Cuban sovereignty but under the complete control of the United States. This meant that the long arms of the law would not reach to GITMO and the President essentially had free reign as to the treatment and length of detention of these unlawful enemy combatants. With this status, the administration argued that they could hold a detainee for an undisclosed amount of time without trial because the War on Terror was essentially ongoing.Also, this status allotted that the detainees could not be tried in civilian courts or be granted the rights and shields afforded to POWs under the Geneva Convention (Piret, 2008). Because of these unique circumstances, the Courts became inundated with petitions for Habeas Corpus rig hts. The Executive branch argued that the courts could hear applications only within their respective jurisdictions and that Guantanamo did not fall within U.S. sovereignty, basically asserting that the judges had no authorization to hear cases from non-citizens that were held in a place where Cuba retained sovereignty. Because the nation was at war, the President retained full war time powers and could essentially be the judge, jury and jailer of the accused held at Guantanamo Bay (Healy, 2012). As a result, a few groundbreaking cases came in front of the Supreme Court.One of these cases was Rasul vs. Bush wherein the Supreme Court rejected the administrations claim that the President had the power to jail those accused of terrorist activities without admission charge to lawyers and without access to any possibility of judicial review (www.oyez.org ). The decision held that the detention of the defendants did in fact hinder on the Fifth Amendment rights.After the impact of Rasul a nd other case decided by the Supreme Court on the same day, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, the executive directors were forced to create military tribunals called Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs), that afforded minimal protection to prisoners(Foley, 2007). However, these tribunals did not allow for the prisoner to obtain legal counsel, did nothave juries, and could rely on hearsay and coerced confessions by innocents. Unfortunately, these tribunals were heavily weighted towards the government and even though the process did result in the release of a number of detainees, the majority of CSRTs have affirmed the detainees to be unlawful enemy combatants (Chesney, 2008 and Foley, 2007). The executive branch, despite these facts, argued that the CSRTs most closely resembled that of courts-martial that were afforded to members of the military, while still falling far short of Habeas rights.Amidst this rather heated debate amongst the Supreme Court and the Executive branch, Congress remain ed on the outskirts for the most part. Congress has never attempted to restrict or interfere with the Presidents authority to detain belligerents their main points were that the purpose of military detention was exclusively preventative and evidence of liability is not necessary for the United States to detain a suspected terrorist. However, because of the Courts rulings, Congress did order the Military Commissions Act of 2006. More or less, the MCA afforded the detainees the right to challenge the basis of their detention, the right to hear charges, and the right to testify, introduce evidence, and witnesses. Nevertheless, MCAs still allowed for coerced evidence to be produced. Additionally, the MCA sceptered the Executives further and further delineated the courts from the review process afforded under Habeas Corpus.Coinciding with the MCA, Congress also intervened with the Detainee Treatment Act (DTA) that essentially provided a backup mechanism for Habeas for judicial review w here the Court of Appeals could determine if the CSRTs complied with regulations in place by the Defense Department and if those regulations were consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States (Chesney, 2008).Despite the efforts of both the Executives and Congress to deplete the role of the Courts, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark 5-4 ruling in Boumediene v. Bush. Bouemediene brought up the issue of constitutional favour of Habeas which it held could not be withdrawn without conforming to the gaolbreak Clause in the Constitution. In its ruling, the majority found that the MCA deprived the Federal Courts to hear habeas claims,therefore unconstitutionally stripping their rights to the same (Piret, 2008). The Court held that even though the U.S. did not have sovereign control over GITMO, the complete control over the base make habeas rights a necessity.The majority also struck the DTA claiming that it fell short and did not provide a level of protection requir ed to override suspension of habeas. Because of Boumediene, Congress cannot enact jurisdiction stripping legislation to deny executive detainees access to judicial review that it twice tried to do with MCA and DTA. Nevertheless, that the Court and the writ of Habeas Corpus is indispensable for monitoring separation of powers, and the test for determining the scope cannot be subjected to manipulation by those whose power it is designed to restrain (US Newswire, 2011).On the other side of the court, the dissenters thought that the majoritys decision ignored the Constitutions structure and defied Congress in establishing procedures for appeals. They went further to say that the historical survey is neck and neck about alien prisoners outside of formal U.S. territory, and Justice Scalia says that the fact that even in the English cases, no alien was granted or rejected the right to the writ which was further proof that Habeas was not in favor (US Newswire, 2011). The dissenters further ed their point by stating that the Boumediene ruling is the most generous set of protections ever afforded to aliens detained as enemy combatants in any war, ever and that the decision was not about the detainees but about the Courts control of Federal policy (Acharya, 2012, Healy, 2012 and Piret, 2008).In informal of all of the controversy surrounding Guantanamo Bay and whether the detainees have a constitutional right to it, one needs to look carefully again at the Suspension Clause The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. It is the furthermost part of this clause that needs the most emphasis when looking at it from the War on Terror perspective the public Safety may require it. Because terrorists are bred from many nations, do not have a uniform to be easily recognized by, and can walk within the boundaries of the United States virtuallyundetected, the law of war holds a di fferent ground. Terrorists are by far and large profoundly hard to distinguish as there is no set guideline.Regardless of the fact that a belligerent fighter is a U.S. citizen or an alien combatant, they should all be reviewed in the same manner, as that of unlawful enemy combatants. Under that status, they should not be afforded the rights allotted to the citizens and resident aliens of the United States. Having said that, it should be the Presidents sole responsibility as Commander in Chief to detain these belligerents for as long as it takes to ensure the safety of Nation.On another level, the Supreme Court in its Boumediene ruling left out a few key factors to determine a proper procedure in the detention of the unlawful enemy combatants in areas other than Guantanamo Bay. It also did not clearly define whether its ruling affected trials currently scheduled to occur in CSRTs. The Court did not establish whether granting habeas rights to detainees at Guantanamo would further put Americans lives at risk by bringing them into the very states that they fight against. Habeas is not about the proof of war crimes but about determining the status of those detained- whether they are POWs, Al Qaeda, or innocents (Yoo, 2012).Given that Congress waited almost five years to enact any type of legislation to determine this element is what has given America a bad reputation among the global community. If Congress had acted in a more expedient manner, those detained who ended up being innocent or POWs should have been locomote to another location and Guantanamo Bay would have truly been for unlawful enemy combatants.Furthermore, because Guantanamo Bay, even though under Cuban Sovereignty, is in all respects a U.S. military installation under the complete control of America, and therefore the Commander in Chief, any type of review should be conducted by military members and not civilian courts. The detainees, if allotted any amount of liberties under the Geneva Convention, should be retained solely by the Armed Forces. There is nothing that states that the Supreme Court has the power to overhaul the Presidents Commander in Chief powers, thus the Supreme Court is wrong in its assertion that the detainees should be afforded habeas rights. The courts insertion of thisfact seems to be simply to ensure them of their own federal powers than the rights of the detainees. They assert to retain their jurisdiction simply because Congress sought to relinquish those powers in the MCA and DTA.In closing, the writ of Habeas Corpus should not be afforded to detainees that have been established as unlawful enemy combatants. Aliens detained during combat with American forces in a foreign theatre, without uniforms or conventional weapons, who seek to harm or kill those other than armed forces are not to be determined as POWs or innocents and should be maintained at a location, Guantanamo Bay, which is outside of U.S. sovereignty. While these combatants could be allow ed a review as outlined in the MCA, their alien combatant status does not typify the right to Habeas Corpus. With the Supreme Courts hole-ridden ruling in Boumediene, it should be expected that there are many questions which still need answers which are in all probability to come about in future habeas cases.Regardless of that fact, given that the War on Terror is not likely to come to a close any time soon, alien unlawful combatants should remain under the detention of the Commander in Chief, at whose discretion it is as to how to handle them, not the Supreme Court, whose main theatre is civil and criminal matters, not matters of war.ReferencesAcharya, U. (2012). International Lawlessness, International Politics and the Problem of Terrorism A Conundrum of International Law and US immaterial Policy.International Politics and the Problem of Terrorism A Conundrum of International Law and US Foreign Policy (August 30, 2012). Denver Journal of International Law and Policy, 40(1), 201 1-2012. Chesney, R. M. (2008). Suspension clause-military commissions act-detainee treatment act-jurisdiction to review military detention of noncitizens held at guantnamo bay, cuba. The American Journal of International Law, 102(4), 848-854. Retrieved from http//search.proquest.com/docview/201159775?accountid=32521Foley, B. J. (2007). GUANTANAMO AND BEYOND DANGERS OF RIGGING THE RULES. Journal of Criminal Law Criminology,97(4), 1009-1069. Retrieved from http//search.proquest.com/docview/218408359?accountid=32521 Garrett,B. (2012). Habeas Corpus and Due Process. Cornell Law Review,98(1). Habeas Corpus Act of 1863. (2009). Habeas Corpus Act of 1863, 1. Halliday, P.D. (2012). Impertinent Questions. Humanities, 33(1), 54. HART jr,J.S. (2011). Habeas Corpus From England to Empire- By Paul D. Halliday. Parlimentary History (Wiley-Blackwell), 30(3), 436-438. Doi10.1111/j.1750-0206.2011.00279_1.x Healy, G. (2012). The Imperial Presidency and the War on Terror Jackson, A.L. (2010). HABEAS CORPUS IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR AN AMERICAN DRAMA. Air Force Law Review, 65 263-288. Judicial be obtains bush defense department documents detailing terrorist threat posed by guantanamo detainees.(2011, Mar 02). U.S.Newswire. Retrieved from http//search.proquest.com/docview/854434733?accountid=32521x Langford, B. R. (2003). SUSPENSION OF HABEAS CORPUS. Journal of the Institute of Justice and International Studies, 233. Piret, J. M. (2008). Boumediene v. Bush and the exterritorial Reach of the US Constitution A Step Towards Judicial Cosmopolitanism?. Utrecht Law Review, 4(3), 81-103. Yoo, J. C. (2012). Applicability of 18 USC 4001 (a) to Military Detention of United States Citizens. Retrieved from.http//doc.wrlc.org/bitstream/handle/2041/84865/00334_020627_002.pdf?sequence=3 .

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