Bush administration told to speed processing of Guantanamo inmates

[maddezmom]

Source: McClatchy

WASHINGTON — A federal judge handling the appeals of more than 200 Guantanamo detainees vowed Tuesday to hold lawyers' "feet to the fire" to insure that the cases are handled as quickly as possible.


In the first hearing held since a Supreme Court decision gave the detainees the right to challenge their imprisonment in court, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan said he recognized the unprecedented nature of the proceedings.

But he warned both government and defense attorneys that he would be "suspicious" of any requests for delays because the detainees' constitutional rights were at stake.

Addressing Justice Department lawyers directly, he told them to prioritize the lawsuits over all other cases.

"We have to have a prompt resolution to these matters," he said, before adding, " The Supreme Court has spoken."



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/2986493;_ylt=AncPl_vxQ0dKrMbTSzBh._.s0NUE

---

Hogan to DOJ: Hurry Up
In this week’s issue, we wrote about the Justice Department’s plan to cobble together a team of 50 attorneys to patch up evidence in the Gitmo habeas cases.

It looks like that's going to be a lot harder than Justice officials had hoped.

In the first hearing since the Supreme Court granted detainees the right to challenge their captivity, Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan said the Justice Department must explain, in each habeas case, why it needs to shore up evidence it had defended steadfastly until two weeks ago. And Hogan ordered the government to move quickly in organizing the evidence, saying at one point that Justice Department should set aside its other cases and focus on the habeas litigation.

The Justice Department has filed factual returns—which at present amount to the classified record of the detainees’ Combat Status Review Tribunals—in 100 of the approximately 200 habeas cases. Assistant Attorney General Gregory Katsas, who argued before Hogan at the hearing, asked for two months to recruit lawyers, and at least another two months to amend the existing returns and file 100 new ones. Katsas said the effort was straining the Justice Department's resources "almost to the breaking point."

But Hogan said he wanted it done sooner, reminding the government of the language the Supreme Court used in Boumediene v. Bush: "he cost of delay can no longer be borne by those who are held in custody."

more:http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/07/hogan-to-justic.html

[PSPS]

1. "Braking point" my ass. Katsas has orders to delay these to coincide with the election.

[Tutonic]

2. This is the guy that locked up Judy Miller. Pretty conservative.

[The Stranger]

3. After six years of incarceration of innocents convicted of no crime, he wants them now to hurry up.

Good one.

[Drum]

4. It's an election year, after all.

:eyes:

[LVjinx]

5. "The Supreme Court has spoken."

Haha... some of these Bushkies are wetting their beds at night knowing that, when it comes out there is NO evidence at all against most of these people, they will have to answer for it.