From Rep. Moran's office on this morning's 5-4 Supreme Court decision.
Moran Statement on Guantanamo Supreme Court RulingWashington, D.C., June 12th - Congressman Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the indefinite detention of prisoners, without charge, at the Guantanamo Bay facility is in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
"This ruling is a victory for the rule of law and a major step towards repairing our damaged international credibility.
"The U.S. Constitution is a guide for our nation through turbulent times, when our reactionary impulses weigh heaviest. Today's ruling is a clear statement that in a crisis, we must not abandon our values.
"Guantanamo remains a stain upon our reputation as a beacon for freedom and the international leader on human rights. This ruling only reconfirms that Guantanamo must close and an equitable system for processing and determining the guilt of detainees be implemented."
This is the third consecutive Supreme Court ruling repudiating the Bush Administration's policy on Guantanamo detainees. The Supreme Court issued their 5-4 ruling with Justice Kennedy writing the majority opinion and Chief Justice Roberts penning the dissenting opinion.
Kennedy wrote: "Liberty and Security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law. The framers decided that habeas corpus, a right of first importance, must be a part of that framework, a part of that law."
and
"The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."
No kidding. This is terrific news and I hope it sounds the death knell for Gitmo and for the mutant creature known as the Military Commission. We have a perfectly good federal court system which should be used for these prosecutions. Terrorism is a criminal act, not a national military practice, and should be tried as a criminal act performed by criminals.