Legal Commentary

The Guantanamo to Illinois Move, at the NYT Room for Debate Blog

By Kenneth Anderson

The NYT Room for Debate blog has a short set of posts from a nicely balanced group on the question of moving detainees from Guantanamo to Illinois.

The Obama administration announced on Tuesday its decision to transfer terrorism suspects held at Guantánamo Bay to an empty state prison in Illinois. The move would help fulfill President Obama?s campaign promise to close the Guantánamo detention center, which has drawn international criticism since it received its first prisoners nearly eight years ago. The decision is also welcomed by some Illinois leaders as an economic boon for a job-challenged part of that state.

What does this move accomplish? Will a change of venue cure the legal issues surrounding detentions at Guantánamo? Or is this a symbolic gesture that will make no difference politically or legally in resolving the fate of the detainees?

David Cole, Andrew McCarthy, Dan Schnur, Diane Marie Amann, Kenneth Anderson.  (Perhaps some more voices to come.)

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on December 16, 2009 (boomark / email).