The Supreme Court in the United States is set to decide the fate of the military commissions established to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay, including Australian David Hicks. In a wider context, the court will hear a case that is considered one of the most important tests of the US Government's legal framework in the war on terror.
The case is Hamdan versus Rumsfeld. Hamdan is one of the four detainees slated for trial via military commission and he is accused of being Osama bin Laden's driver. His lawyers won a civil court case, arguing the commissions are unlawful.
But that decision was overturned last month on appeal, allowing the Bush administration to make plans to restart military commissions.
As expected, the Hamdan team has now escalated the case to the Supreme Court.
In papers filed today, the lawyers write that Americans and the rest of the world should be able to rest assured that this controversial legal process has been reviewed at the highest levels. The Bush administration will now give the Supreme Court a response and then the justices will decide whether to hear the case.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1433343.htm