General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Obama Prepares to Authorize Indefinite Detention of US Citizens for First Time Since McCarthy Era" [View all]BzaDem
(11,142 posts)Last edited Wed Dec 21, 2011, 12:11 AM - Edit history (1)
The second circuit ruled that the President did not have authority to detain Padilla. The Supreme Court said that the case should never have been heard in the second circuit, and instead should have been heard in the fourth circuit.
The fourth circuit decided that the President did have authority to detain Padilla without a trial. But when Padilla appealed to the Supreme Court, the Bush administration (knowing it was going to lose) withdrew its claim and moved him to the criminal justice system (to give him a trial). So while the precedent apparently is still on the books in the 4th circuit, the next time this happens in the 4th circuit, it will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court (as in Al-Marri) and they will decide the issue. (They will likely reverse, given the votes in Hamdi, where Scalia voted to give US Citizens full due process rights in all cases.)