Preview

Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1906 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror
Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror
Do you recall "For liberty and Justice for all"? Well it seems as if those six words no longer exist in present day America. As a Veteran of the Military, I swore to serve and protect those foreign and domestic. Like many active duty and veteran military, I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as a soldier knowing that I was fighting for a country where you had civil liberties. At the time it was truly the land of the free and the home of the brave. Unfortunately, those liberties, that most Americans take for granted and others flee to this country to obtain, was threatened on September 11, 2001. The nation suffered from a great deal of loss, pain, anger, and disbelief that was felt across the world. With emotions becoming more inflamed with thoughts of revenge, the American people wanted answers and even more importantly, they wanted to see immediate action against those that commented this act of terror against this great nation. In response, Former-President George W. Bush and his administration set out to capture those thought to be responsible for the terrorist attack. In addition, Former-President Bush and his administration went to great lengths to go beyond the reach of the judicial system which enforces the writ of Habeas Corpus. These actions have been highly debated all across the nation and even the world. Did the tragedy of September 11th, justify the actions of the Former-President? Was and is it fair that people were and are still locked away, stripped of their basic rights under the writ of Habeas Corpus? Is this “Great Nation” so powerful that the very laws that were put into place to protect now don’t apply? The following exams these questions and many more, including the writ of Habeas Corpus, legal debates regarding this topic, and the perspectives of Former-President Bush and his administration during the time immediately following the September 11th attack.
Habeas Corpus original meaning can be best

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror. Soon after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the Bush administration developed a plan for holding and interrogating prisoners captured during the conflict. They were sent to a prison inside a U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay on land leased from the government of Cuba. Since 2002, over 700 men have been detained at “GITMO.” Most have been released without charges or turned over to other governments. In 2011, Congress specifically prohibited the expenditure of funds to transfer GITMO prisoners to detention facilities in the continental United States, making it virtually impossible to try them in civilian courts. As of April 2012, 169 remained in detention at GITMO (Sutton, 2012).…

    • 6132 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    POL 201 Week 5 Final Paper Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror…

    • 36699 Words
    • 107 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    POL 201 Entire Course

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page

    POL 201 Week 5 Final Paper Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Throughout history, the motivation of man's self interest has concluded in the domination of those with little or no power in the absence of the rule of law. The war on terror presents an unpredictable challenge for the United States whereas terrorists are apprehended and deprived of due process. The right of Habeas corpus overrules man's interpretation, in which allows those accused federal and state court representation before judge, or jury. It asserts that accusers deemed innocent until proven guilty, accusers possessed the right to representation, appear in person, and charges brought forth. This essay will concentrate on the evolution of habeas corpus, and its suspension by the United States, its relevance during the war on terror, and the United States Supreme Court's interpretation. Nevertheless, these laws are in place to protect every one, moreover to avoid unlawful apprehension, and ensure that habeas corpus works as intended by the Constitution.…

    • 1857 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the post 9-11 many changes to our government rights and responsibilities were made. Were these changes for the good of our country? Were the changes made with our constitutional rights in mind? You decide.…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    September 11, 2001 changed America forever. The 9/11 cases challenged the government power and its relation to individual rights during times of war. Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization funded by Osama bin Laden targeted the American government in a series of deadly attacks on 9/11 that killed over 3000 people and injured scores of others. The United States declared an act of war against Terrorism and soon was heavily involved in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Similar to the Korematsu v. U.S. (1944) Supreme Court cases where Congress authorization forces the government to comply with an order. The 9/11 cases were no ordinary in nature but it was different from similar cases. One must understand the complexity of the cases and the course of action…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    POL 201 Final Paper

    • 1580 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In this paper I will be deliberate on the history of Habeas Corpus and how it has matured over the years. I will describe the beginning of the Habeas Corpus and the position it takes part in the U.S. and what recent act is being used. The United States Constitution must be more effectively unified into the Guantanamo methods to give equal civil rights to inmates despite what their nationality maybe, but to also have more cordial ways of reviewing obstructive servicemen to absolutely verify if they really should be treated as extremists that we should fear.…

    • 1580 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    The war on terror presents an unpredictable challenge for the United States. Throughout history, the motivation of man’s self-interest has concluded in the domination of those with little or no power. Habeas Corpus is written in the constitution as a right of the people and should be a safeguard to protect all accused persons, but many presidents have found ways not to enforce the right. In history the writ of habeas corpus has been challenged by many president from Lincoln to most recently Bush with abuse of power by the president. I will exam whether the president goes against the constitution to protect the safety of its citizens in a time of war or is it an abuse of power because the president is the commander and chief. Is the president acting on behalf of the people or is it a personal agenda.…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harnoor Chatha Professor Sumstad English-1002-16 October 19, 2014 Rhetorical Analysis Final Draft Deborah Pearlstein author, of Rights in an Insecure World, is the Director of the United States Law and Security Program at Human Rights First. Pearlstein’s purpose is to elaborate and examine different ways our rights are redefined against us after September 11 attack. The Author emphasize her claim about Liberty and Security after September 11 attack on the United States. Author’s intended audience is informing U.S. citizens and criticizing the Government officials (FBI, CIA, and interrogation team at Guantanamo Bay). Author’s main goal is to elaborate and compare how Liberty and Security rights are being violated before and after the September…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    War is a very scary and dangerous monster. It brings the worst in people; it divides families and friends. It makes us question everything we know and with the media we get too much information that we don’t know what to do with it. However, by learning our history, everybody’s role in the government, learning how the system works and learning simple terms like enemy combatant and habeas corpus you can learn that there is more than just our laws and Constitution. We are not alone in this war.…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Have you ever felt like a piece of cheese on a mouse trap just waiting for that mouse to come by and eat you; maybe even a fly stuck in a spider’s web hoping that you can get away? Well I am sure if I had been one of those people in the mist of the chaos on September 11, 2001 that had changed the life of all Americans’ across the country. I would have felt no bigger than that piece of cheese or that fly caught in the web. We were victims of a horrific terrorist attack that shook the very core of our foundation as a country. Twelve years later we are still recovering from this horrendous act. We have been fighting the war on terror for ten years. This is one of the longest wars that the United States has ever fought. While the war rages on the boundaries between national security and civil liberties are blurred. “The big threat to America is the way we react to terrorism by throwing away what everybody values about our country—a commitment to human rights” (Kennedy, 2007). Individual liberties and freedoms are important since without them one can be held indefinitely. Habeas corpus does not infringe upon a person’s civil liberties. In addition, habeas corpus allows an individual to question why they are being detained and ensures that detainees have a right to a fair trial; it is considered to be one of the foundations of constitutional democracy.…

    • 2236 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    4. The War and the Writ Habeas corpus and security in an age of terrorism…

    • 1666 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Patriot Act Research Paper

    • 3074 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Since the aftermath of the terrorist attack of September 11th. 2014. The Patriot Act was enabled to enhance domestic security of the state, and federal branch of the government, it was ushered in out of the fear the terrorist were here in masses. While we all were concerned with the safety of the people and our country, few knew the underlying damaging message of The Patriot Act to our Bill Of Rights of the United States. Our founding fathers created the constitution to protect us against these cruel and unethical practices. The Patriot Act discards these constitutional…

    • 3074 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Civil Liberties History

    • 2698 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Habeas corpus and the war on terror have only grown increasingly relevant as days pass. One of the more well-known uses of habeas corpus stems from the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States. It was on the wake of this historical tragedy that President Bush not only launched a war on terrorism, but the USA PATRIOIT Act of 2001 was passed. As a wartime measure, the PATRIOT Act allowed federal authorities to arrest and hold suspected terrorists without filing formal charges. Individuals detained on suspicion of terrorism were not entitled to an attorney (Levin-Waldman, 2012). In Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004), the Supreme Court ruled the prisoners had limited rights at his or her disposal with which to challenge the enemy combatant characterization (Foley, 2007). The debate over habeas corpus has erupted in an emotional time of healing for United States citizens. What is difficult to grasp is that in the midst of tragedy, in the center of emotional turmoil, in the middle of a nation full of questions, habeas corpus is a civil liberty, like many others that desperately required clarification in a changing…

    • 2698 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Patriot Act

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages

    On September 11, 2001, 2,996 innocent people lost their lives and left more than 6,000 others seriously wounded. This horrendous act of terrorism waged against the United States, on American soil, forever changed the country. After the initial disbelief and shock had subsided, the anger rose and turned into rage. American citizens were united and demanded action be taken to prevent such an event from ever occurring again. Hence, the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act enactment was to protect the country against terrorism, activities within the United States that involve acts dangerous to human life.…

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays