Published January 13, 2015
Reactions to the Supreme Court's decision that detainees at Guantanamo Bay have the constitutional right to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.
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"Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what almost everyone but the administration and their defenders in Congress always knew. The Constitution and the rule of law bind all of us even in extraordinary times of war. No one is above the Constitution." — Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
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"Today's opinion is an important and much-needed check by a coequal branch of government on an administration which has shown utter contempt for the rulm of law." — Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
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"I am deeply disappointed in what I think is a tremendously dangerous and irresponsible ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. ... The court has conferred upon civilian judges the right to make military decisions. These judges have virtually no training in military matters yet civilian judges, in some of the most liberal district courts in the country, will have an opportunity to determine who is a threat to the United States." — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
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"It reaffirms that we are a nation committed to the rule of law, and to the principle that not one person may be deprived of liberty without a fair hearing." — Tom Wilner, an attorney for detainee Fawzi al-Odah.
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"Today's Supreme Court decision is yet another stinging rebuke of the Bush administration's extreme views on executive power." — Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
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"Today's ruling is a resounding affirmation for the rule of law and a rejection of the president's sweeping claims of power. We all agree that terrorists must be brought to justice, but we must not abandon the very system of justice we are protecting in the process." — Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
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"This ruling is a stunning repudiation of the hubris and legal contortions of the Bush administration. Today, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed what we are all taught from grammar school on: that the United States is a nation of laws and that our Constitution and Bill of Rights must be respected." — Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.
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"Today's ruling reaffirms the vision of our founders, and helps restore the credibility of the United States as a leading advocate and model for the rule of law across the globe. It will solidify our relations with other nations, and will protect Americans abroad." — William Neukom, American Bar Association president.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/congressional-reaction-to-supreme-court-decision-split-down-party-lines