Trials of Terror Suspects Halted

[bemildred]

Just wondering if this is related to Asshat falling on his sword.
I suppose a big YIPPEE! is called for also.

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration suspended its system for putting accused terrorists on trial Friday and began legal efforts to salvage the process in the face of a court ruling that declared it below U.S. standards of justice.

The halt in proceedings is indefinite. The Pentagon decision Friday put off action scheduled for December at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Pentagon on Monday had called off proceedings scheduled for November, and already had delayed hearings set for January.

The latest delay came as the Justice Department began its appeal of a ruling handed down this week that a pair of processes for handling detainees were unfair and unlawful. The ruling here by U.S. District Judge James Robertson forced a halt to a hearing in the trial of a Yemeni man accused of supporting terrorism as Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's driver.

Friday's action added to the uncertainty over the system of military commissions used to try the defendants at Guantanamo. The commissions have been plagued by procedural delays and practical problems, have been attacked as unfair by defense lawyers and have been assailed by civil libertarians as deficient under U.S. and inter- national law. Two military commission members and an alternate, half of the panelists appointed to hear cases, were dismissed after defense lawyers charged they had possible conflicts of interest.

LA Times