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March 15, 2010
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES NEW BLOG:
GUANTANAMO BAY AND BEYOND
Committee on Civil Rights Provides a Comprehensive
Resource on the Latest Legal Issues Surrounding the Detention and Trial
of Detainees at Guantanamo and Elsewhere
ALBANY – The New York State Bar Association
(NYSBA) Committee on Civil Rights announced the launch of a
comprehensive legal blog that will provide, in one place, the latest
developments and issues pertaining to the detention and trial of those
detained at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba and elsewhere. It also
will provide in-depth analysis of the ongoing and emerging policy issues
endemic to the struggle against international terrorism.
Officially titled “Guantanamo Bay and Beyond: A Blog on Executive
Detention, National Security and Due Process,” it can be viewed by
both attorneys and the general public through the State Bar Web site at
http://nysbar.com/blogs/executivedetention.
“Over the last decade, since 9/11, there has been an ongoing
and unprecedented dialogue between the Executive, Legislative and
Judicial branches concerning the most fundamental issues of national
security, individual liberty and due process. Central to this
discussion have been policy decisions and judicial determinations
regarding the detention, treatment and rights of those detained at
Guantanamo Bay,” said Fernando A. Bohorquez, Jr., Chair of the
NYSBA Committee on Civil Rights (Baker Hostetler of New York).
“With this new blog, we hope to provide a dynamic, one-stop
resource for the public and members of the Bar to monitor, understand
and stay abreast of the latest and most critical developments on these
important issues.”
Each week, the blog will be updated by committee members with a post
that provides the latest news on one area of discussion—presenting
a summary of the issue with the latest information from a variety of
outside resources.
State Bar Association President Michael E. Getnick (Getnick Livingston
Atkinson & Priore, LLP of Utica and of counsel to Getnick &
Getnick of New York City) said, “The New York State Bar
Association’s Committee on Civil Rights has done a remarkable job
chronicling the events and issues arising from the detention of those at
Guantanamo Bay. I would like to commend Committee Chair Fernando
Bohorquez and Committee Secretary Patrick Campbell for their diligence
and dedication in creating a comprehensive blog that explores all sides
of these important civil rights issues. It will be an invaluable
resource for lawyers and non-lawyers alike.”
The NYSBA Committee on Civil Rights has been very active on issues
regarding the Executive detention of those detained at Guantanamo
including, among other things, crafting the Report on
Executive Detention, Habeas Corpus and the Military Commissions Act of
2006, the NYSBA June 2008 House of Delegates Resolution
endorsing the Boumediene v. Bush Supreme Court decision; the
Supplemental Report on Boumediene v. Bush and the Procedural
Framework for Guantanamo Detainee Habeas Petitions in July
2008 that addressed the procedures due to detainees on habeas review;
and a resolution, adopted by the American Bar Association, that called
for the Obama Administration to ensure that Guantanamo detainees receive
all due process rights afforded to them by law. These reports and
resolutions can be found at www.nysba.org/newscenter.
# # #
The 77,000 member New York State Bar Association is the official
statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary
state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, NYSBA programs and
activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice
system for more than 130 years.
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