Washington – A bill that would allow terrorism suspects access to federal courts to challenge their imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
The committee, on an 11-8 vote, advanced a bill that would allow those prisoners, as well as millions of legal noncitizens inside the United States, to protest detentions through a writ of habeas corpus.
All of the committee’s Democrats and Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, the committee’s top Republican, voted for the legislation. The rest of the GOP senators voted against it.
Congress, while under GOP control last year, stripped federal courts of jurisdiction over Guantanamo cases. As a result, detainees only had recourse to challenge their imprisonment through special military tribunals that omitted rights common in civil courts.
Administration officials say they do not think dangerous terror suspects should have rights granted to U.S. citizens under the Constitution.
But Democrats and Specter say a person’s right to file a special legal petition to protest detention, known as a writ of habeas corpus, is considered a fundamental right in civilized society.
