Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy,
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,
On The Supreme Court’s Denial Of Certiorari In Boumediene v. Bush
April 2, 2007

“The Court’s decision today underscores the need for Congress to act quickly to restore the fundamental habeas protections that were rolled back as part of last year’s Military Commissions Act.  Congress cannot sit back and wait for the courts to fix this problem, but should instead pass the bipartisan bill that Senator Specter and I have introduced that would restore habeas rights to non-citizens, including 12 million legal permanent residents living in this country. We cannot and should not outsource our legal, moral, and constitutional responsibilities.   

“It is disappointing that there are not yet the four justices needed for the Supreme Court to consider the crucial issue of whether our Constitution allows Congress to deny detainees the habeas corpus rights that have been a cornerstone of American liberty since the founding of this Nation.  I hope that the Court does decide before too long to consider the constitutionality of the habeas-stripping provision of last year’s Military Commissions Act.”

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