ABA Won't Take Position on Gitmo Rights

[rodbarnett]

February 9, 2004, 3:29 PM EST


SAN ANTONIO -- The American Bar Association declined Monday to take a position on one of the major legal issues to arise since the Sept. 11 attacks: whether terror suspects held at a military prison in Cuba should have access to American courts.

<snip>

The ABA has battled with the Bush administration over the treatment of terror suspects arrested after the Sept. 11 attacks. It called last year for legal rights for U.S. residents classified as "enemy combatants" and urged the White House to change its rules for any military trials for such suspects.

"Enemy combatants" is the term used for captives who are neither traditional prisoners of war nor ordinary criminal defendants. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals this spring involving enemy combatants held in Cuba and in South Carolina.

The ABA decided to steer clear of the issue raised in the appeal on behalf of detainees at the Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The appeal asks if they may contest their captivity in American courts.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-lawyers-enemy-combatants,0,219051.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[Cary]

1. I regret that I had but one ABA membership to divest myself of.

[saigon68]

3. The ABA are Lap Dogs of the AWOL CHIMPANZEE--they are scum

The best Lawyers belong to the National Lawyers Guild..


http://www.nlg.org/


They are currently being investigated by Homeland Security


Read ON

Legal/Activist Group Will Not Divulge Membership Information

The National Lawyers Guild will move to quash an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force subpoena issued on Wednesday, February 4, 2004. The subpoena asks Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, to produce all records relating to a November 15, 2003 antiwar conference at Drake University called "Stop the Occupation! Bring the Iowa Guard Home!" The conference was sponsored by the Drake Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and was followed the next day by a demonstration at the Iowa National Guard Headquarters in Johnston, at which 12 protestors were arrested on misdemeanor charges.

The subpoena asks Drake University for all records relating to the November 15 conference, as well as information about leaders of the Drake University chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and the location of Guild offices and any annual reports since 2002. In addition, it asks for "all records of Drake University campus security reflecting any observations made of the November 15, 2003 meeting, including any records of persons in charge or control of the meeting, and any records of attendees of the meeting."



The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, comprises over 6,000 members and activists in the service of the people. Its national office is headquartered in New York and it has chapters in nearly every state, as well as over 100 law school chapters. Guild members provide legal support to progressive demonstrations throughout the country, and well understand the nationwide trend toward increasingly repressive measures deployed against political protesters.

[Cary]

4. Don't discount the American Constitution Society

http://www.acslaw.org/

[Sandpiper]

5. To the shame of the ABA

The NLG has always been years ahead of it in support of progressive issues. When the NLG was founded, it was done so by Lawyers who could not tolerate the ABA's exclusion of black members.

[saigon68]

7. So true --in the 1930's "Negros" need not apply to the ABA

Another fine legacy of the ABA

[Lori Price CLG]

6. Great line, and that's awesome!

"I regret that I had but one ABA membership to divest myself of." <--terrific comment and action.

:)-Lori Price
Citizens For Legitimate Government

[ixion]

2. the concept of 'Enemy combatants'

is ambigous and dangerous and very, very, very unAmerican, IMO.

I'm really sad to see the ABA cave to BushCo.