Habeas Corpus Past

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Habeas Corpus: The Past, the Present, and the War on Terror zapiggy POL201 Instructor October 13, 2014 Habeas Corpus: The Past, the Present, and the War on Terror Habeas Corpus is a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person’s release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention. Habeas Corpus is a right every citizen should have, especially during such turbulent times. This essay will discuss aspects of habeas corpus, especially in relation to its creation and how it evolved, as well as how it has changed in recent years. Habeas corpus will also be examined from the aspect of how it applies today during the United State’s War on Terror. To begin, Habeas corpus…show more content…
For instance, the President and his relation to habeas corpus. The Commander-in-Chief clause states that “[t]he President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States” (U.S.CONST. art. II, § 2). When evaluating the President’s relationship in regards to habeas corpus, one must first consider whether or not the President even has the right to confine individuals. “Absent a military conflict, the answer is likely no, whereas when Congress specifically authorizes detention, the answer is certainly yes” (Howe, 2014, p. 678). After 9/11, Congress had passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). AUMF allowed the President to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organization or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations, or persons” (Howe, 2014, p. 678). No matter what AUMF says however, one thing that it does not clearly state is whether or not the President is allowed to confine individuals. In Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, an American citizen was detained in Afghanistan on suspicion of being involved with the…show more content…
v. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, et al. (2004). Retrieved October 10, 2014 from http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=03-6696 Howe, Z. (2014). DETAINMENT POWER: THE LIMITS OF THE PRESIDENT'S POWER TO SUSPEND HABEAS CORPUS DURING MILITARY CONFLICTS. Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy, 37(2), 677-694. Levin-Waldman, O. M. (2012). American Government. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2013, May 14). Episode II – It’s a Free Country [Series episode]. Constitution USA with Peter Sagal. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/watch/its-a-free-country/. Randolph, A.R. (2011). Originalism and History: The Case of Boumediene v. Bush. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 34(1), 89-97. Sherman, M. (2008). High Court: Gitmo Detainees have Rights in Court. Associated Press, June 12, 2008, Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fap.google.com%2Farticle%2FALeqM5iS3b8PdQ_oVlJA2eFtDvhnnTUvFwD918J1QO0&date=2008-06-12 on June 12, 2008, Retrieved October 10, 2014. United States Constitution, Article I, Section 9, clause 2. United States Constitution, Article II, Section

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