<< Back

Court Backs Justice For Gitmo

Letters to the Editor

In a ringing endorsement of this country's commitment to the rule of law, a five-justice majority of the Supreme Court held that the men who have been imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for more than four years are entitled to the rights embodied in the Geneva Convention to which our government subscribed more than five decades ago, and in our Code of Military Justice. In practical terms, this ensures the prisoners the kinds of fundamental rights available to all who are charged with crimes in this country: trials before impartial tribunals, with proper defense counsel, an opportunity to hear and respond to the government's evidence, and a right of appeal from adverse rulings to an independent reviewing court.

This ruling was not concocted by a maverick justice or two. Rather, it is contained in several carefully written, thoughtful opinions. The justices in the majority embody diverse backgrounds and leanings. They were appointed by Presidents Ford (Stevens), Reagan (Kennedy), George H.W. Bush (Souter) and Clinton (Ginsberg and Breyer).

The court has done nothing more than uphold basic principles that this country has embraced since its founding more than two centuries ago. The importance of this decision transcends lawyerly disputations about fine points of law. The basic message is a ringing reminder that no matter how dangerous the times or despicable the enemy, we must abide by the system of checks and balances enshrined in our basic legal structure.

The president has repeatedly said he was waiting for the court's ruling as to the rights of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners. He now has the answer, and it's time for the administration to cease its dogged opposition, and provide these men fair hearings to determine whether they should be held or released.

Thomas P. Sullivan, Wilmette.

<< Back