Starting Over: When Presidential Forgiveness Changes a Life
A president's pardon doesn't wipe someone's criminal record clean, but it is an official act of forgiveness that can open career doors for offenders like Serena Nunn, whose long-ago felony conviction stands in the way of admission to the Georgia State Bar.
Newly Released Memo Inadvertently Reveals CIA Held (and Abused) Missing Prisoner
According to various reports, a U.S.-held detainee named Hassan Ghul provided key intelligence on the courier who ultimately led authorities to Osama bin Laden. In 2009 we reported that, despite the U.S. government’s silence on his case, Ghul had been captured in Iraq and held in a secret CIA prison. His whereabouts today are still unknown.
In Gitmo Opinion, Two Versions of Reality
A judge’s opinion on Gitmo first hidden, then rewritten, reveals the secret evidence against a detainee the Obama administration wants to hold indefinitely.
Appeals Court Makes It Easier for Gov’t to Hold Gitmo Detainees
The case could make it more difficult for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to win release.
Obama Counterterrorism Adviser Slams Congressional Efforts to Block Guantanamo’s Closure
President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, delivered the administration’s most forceful public call to date for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and the use of federal courts to try some detainees held there.
Obama Makes Indefinite Detention and Military Commissions His Own
Prisoners held in indefinite detention at the Guantanamo Bay camp will periodically be reviewed by a board and have a “personal representative” to advocate for them. But the system, similar to what was in effect under the Bush administration, does not bring President Obama closer to shutting Gitmo.
Readers React to Our Story on the U.S.’s (Mistake-Filled) Citizenship Test
Readers react to the piece I wrote last week about the U.S. citizenship test.
How I Passed My U.S. Citizenship Test: By Keeping the Right Answers to Myself
I recently became a U.S. citizen, and found mistakes in the citizenship test.
Guantanamo As Prison and Courtroom: Is a White House Policy Unraveling or Coming Together?
According to a story in the New York Times, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will authorize new military commission trials for detainees facing charges brought by the Obama administration. The question now is whether this signals a shift from the administration’s long-standing commitment to prosecutions in federal court.