Les Jones

Politics > U.S. AG Gonzalez Denies Right to Habeus Corpus

Think Progress via The High Road:

Yesterday, during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales claimed there is no express right to habeas corpus in the U.S. Constitution. Gonzales was debating Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) about whether the Supreme Court’s ruling on Guantanamo detainees last year cited the constitutional right to habeas corpus. Gonzales claimed the Court did not cite such a right, then added, “There is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution.”

Specter pushed back. “Wait a minute. The constitution says you can’t take it away, except in the case of rebellion or invasion. Doesn’t that mean you have the right of habeas corpus, unless there is an invasion or rebellion?” Specter told Gonzales, “You may be treading on your interdiction and violating common sense, Mr. Attorney General.”

Why is it that every attorney general is basically an enemy of rights and freedoms for citizens? It's one thing to not extend habeus corpus to non-citizens or enemy combatants (ADDED: during a time of war), but it's clear enough to me that it's a right for citizens.

Don't know what habeus corpus is or why it's important? See the Wikipedia entry.