Federal appeals court upholds MCA habeas-stripping provisions
Court Alerts
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled Tuesday that provisions in the Military Commissions Act stripping foreign nationals held as "enemy combatants" of the right to file habeas corpus petitions challenging their detentions do not violate the Suspension Clause of the US Constitution. The ruling came in the consolidated cases of hundreds of Guantanamo Bay detainees. The court also held that Congress was clear in its intent to strip federal courts of habeas jurisdiction even in pending challenges. The DC Circuit vacated the lower court decisions in the cases and dismissed the detainees' petitions for lack of jurisdiction.
President Bush signed the MCA into law last October and shortly thereafter the the US Justice Department sent letters to the DC district and appeals courts, notifying the lower court that it no longer had jurisdiction over some 200 pending cases filed by Guantanamo detainees, and urging the appeals court to reach the merits in the present cases. Tuesday's appeals court ruling is expected to be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
Related listings
-
DOD Employee Pleads Guilty to Accepting Gratuities
Court Alerts 02/16/2007WASHINGTON – Steven Merkes, a former Department of Defense (DOD) employee, pleaded guilty to accepting illegal gratuities while serving as an operational support planner in the Future Operations Division of the U.S. Army Headquarters, Special Operati...
-
PokerTek being sued by Tellis for Breach & Fraud
Court Alerts 02/08/2007AUSTIN, Texas- Barry & Loewy LLP today announced it has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against PokerTek, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEK) and its Chief Executive Officer, Lou White, for breach of contract and fraud. The suit was filed on behalf of TELLIS ...
-
Minnesota Man Banned From Preparing Taxes
Court Alerts 02/06/2007WASHINGTON – A federal court in Minnesota has issued a permanent order barring Nash Sonibare, who operated Liberty Financial Group in St. Paul, Minn., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The p...

Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.