US military judge refuses to suspend Guantanamo trial

[Asi-Irish]

Updated at: 0756 PST, Friday, January 30, 2009
WASHINGTON: A military judge at Guantanamo Bay Thursday rejected President Barack Obama's request to suspend the trial of a Saudi man accused in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, the Pentagon said.

The decision complicated Obama's plan to buy time to review the cases against some 245 prisoners still held at the US military-run prison in southeastern Cuba.

"Judge James Pohl denied the motion" put forward by the prosecution at Obama's request to suspend the trial before the special tribunal for 120 days, said Defense Department spokesman Commander Jeffrey Gordon.

The Washington Post reported the military judge found the government's argument in the case of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri "unpersuasive".

"Congress passed the military commissions act, which remains in effect. The commission is bound by the law as it currently exists, not as it may change in the future," the judge wrote, according to the Post, referring to the law that set up the extraordinary commissions to try terror suspects.
US military judge refuses to suspend Guantanamo trial - GEO.tv

[Clanrickard]

Updated at: 0756 PST, Friday, January 30, 2009
WASHINGTON: A military judge at Guantanamo Bay Thursday rejected President Barack Obama's request to suspend the trial of a Saudi man accused in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, the Pentagon said.

The decision complicated Obama's plan to buy time to review the cases against some 245 prisoners still held at the US military-run prison in southeastern Cuba.

"Judge James Pohl denied the motion" put forward by the prosecution at Obama's request to suspend the trial before the special tribunal for 120 days, said Defense Department spokesman Commander Jeffrey Gordon.

The Washington Post reported the military judge found the government's argument in the case of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri "unpersuasive".

"Congress passed the military commissions act, which remains in effect. The commission is bound by the law as it currently exists, not as it may change in the future," the judge wrote, according to the Post, referring to the law that set up the extraordinary commissions to try terror suspects.
US military judge refuses to suspend Guantanamo trial - GEO.tv

The judge is following the law. In this case it is a proper trial of someone who may be found guilty of a grave crime as opposed to a lot of the people in Guantanmo who are not really guilty of anything.

[Asi-Irish]

The judge is following the law? What about the US constiution? The trials themselves, along with the manner in which the suspects were captured, held and abused, are unconstitutional.

[Conor the Bold]

The judge is following the law? What about the US constiution? The trials themselves, along with the manner in which the suspects were captured, held and abused, are unconstitutional.

Asi-Irish, as good as your sound bites sound - its pretty much irrelevant. As it stands the trials go ahead as they are previously mandated by Congress. You say its unconstitutional? Take it up with Congress...

[Asi-Irish]

Fair enough. I suppose the US constitution did undergo a thorough shredding during Bush's 2 terms and I don't expect Obama to return to the spirit of the constitution