The SCOTUS Hamdan decision is starting to sink in throughout the Executive Branch, and it could have significant repercussions. Today, it was disclosed that the DoD announced the following in a July 7, 2006 memorandum from Gordon England:
The Supreme Court has determined that Common Article 3 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 applies as a matter of law to the conflict with Al Qaeda. The Court found that the military commissions as constituted by the Department of Defense are not consistent with Common Article 3.
For those who have followed the legal side of this story, this is an astounding turn of events. Only last week, conservative commentators were trying to take away what our SCOTUS, led by Justice Stevens, had given to our nation. The DoD admission is a turning point, but there is still work to be done because, in this memo, it becomes clear that the upper tiers of the civilian leadership at the Pentagon are going to try to evade prosecution for war crimes.
Follow me on the flip to learn what they are doing, and how we can insure that justice prevails.
