Posted by
Defend America on Monday, March 01, 2010 5:09:32 PM
Court dismisses appeal of Uighurs detained at Guantanamo Bay
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 1, 2010; 11:38 AM
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a major separation of powers case
that would have determined what rights judges have to free detainees at
Guantanamo Bay who have been found not to be enemy combatants.
The justices, without recorded dissent, agreed with the Obama
administration that changed circumstances meant that the challenge
brought by a group of Chinese Muslims known as Uighurs was not ripe for
the court's consideration.
At the same time, the justices wiped out a ruling by the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia that had been challenged by
attorneys for the detainees. The ruling said that the judicial branch
had no power to release into the United States detainees who had been
cleared of wrongdoing who cannot be returned to their home countries
for fear of persecution.
The Obama administration has been working to find a neutral country
to accept the Uighurs and thus avoid another showdown at the Supreme
Court on detainee rights. It recently persuaded Switzerland to take two
of the men, and said the others had been offered, but turned down, the
chance to go to the island nation of Palau.
The court was convinced.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030101140.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics