{"id":46585,"date":"2022-02-15T18:16:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-aclu-wp.pantheonsite.io\/issues\/military-commissions"},"modified":"2022-02-15T18:19:29","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:19:29","slug":"military-commissions","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/national-security\/military-commissions","title":{"rendered":"Military Commissions"},"parent":46591,"menu_order":1,"template":"","class_list":["post-46585","issue","type-issue","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"featured-image":46229,"intro":"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.","what-you-need-to-know":null,"promo":{"description":"","button":"","url":""},"faq":{"description":"","faq-items":null},"featured-stories":null,"latest-stories":null,"whats-at-stake":{"title":"What's at Stake","description":"

In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld\u00a0<\/em>(2006), the Supreme Court ruled that the original military commission system established by former President George W. Bush to try detainees at Guant\u00e1namo Bay was unlawful because it had not been authorized by Congress. Unfortunately, in 2006 and then again in 2009, Congress provided that authorization when it passed the Military Commissions Act (MCA), legitimizing a system of military tribunals that fails to meet fair trial and due process standards.<\/p>\n

The Guant\u00e1namo military commission proceedings have been marred by legal and ethical problems from day one. Among other things, the proceedings allow the admission of secret evidence, hearsay, and evidence obtained through coercion in certain circumstances. Defendants\u2019 access to counsel has been consistently obstructed, and even their testimony about torture and coercion can be censored, keeping the worst of the government\u2019s post-9\/11 abuses shielded from the public.<\/p>\n

The ACLU has been present as an independent observer at nearly every commission hearing since 2004 and documented the ways in which the proceedings are unfair, unconstitutional, and plagued by excessive secrecy.<\/p>\n

It's time to shut down the military commissions and transfer the defendants to the United States to be tried in civilian court.\u00a0<\/p>\n"},"actions":null,"drupal-id":137,"is_hidden_issue":[]},"yoast_head":"\nMilitary Commissions | American Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/national-security\/military-commissions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military Commissions | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/national-security\/military-commissions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-15T23:19:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/national-security\/military-commissions\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/national-security\/military-commissions\",\"name\":\"Military Commissions | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-15T23:16:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-15T23:19:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/national-security\/military-commissions\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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