Judge To Bush Lawyers In Gitmo Appeals: Speed It Up

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."

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Comments

[hey0there]

yeah speed it up! we need to kick the 'terrorists will soon be walking in YOUR neighborhood' rhetoric up a notch to scare everyone again into voting republican.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Never p!ss off a Federal Judge.