Justices, 5-3, Broadly Reject Bush Plan to Try Detainees - New York Times

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the military tribunals set up for prisoners at Guantanamo were unauthorized by federal statute and violated international law. Linda Greenhouse, Justices, 5-3, Broadly Reject Bush Plan to Try Detainees - New York Times, NY Times, June 29, 2006.

The opinion, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, No. 05-184, is here.

There will be plenty of coverage and commentary. I just wanted to note the local angle: Hamdan's attorneys included one of Seattle's largest firms, Perkins Coie. Nancy Bartley, Local Firm's Role in Case "Very Satisfying," Seattle Times, June 30, 2006. Perkins's press release after the oral argument is here.

Because of my UW boosterism, I'd be sure to tell you if the lawyers were grads or Trial Ad instructors, but they aren't. The five Perkins attorneys listed in the press release went to law school at Chicago, St. Louis University, Vanderbilt, Dickinson, and Washington and Lee. Our "local" firm hires nationally as well as playing a role in a case that is nationally and internationally important.

And now, I'm off for my vacation...

Filed in: cases, SupremeCourt, Hamdan-v-Rumsfeld, Perkins-Coie, international-law, military-tribunals, Guantanamo