Statement on Supreme Court Decisions on the Rights of Detainees

Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Decisions on the Rights of Detainees

Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions upholding the rule of law in the cases involving American-born detainee Yaser Esam Hamdi and the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba:

"The Supreme Court's decisions in the Hamdi case and the case involving the Guantanamo detainees are triumphs for the rule of law. The notion that the President has the unchallengeable authority to define the circumstances of a person's detention, especially that of a United States citizen, is contrary to our nation's history and experience.

"The right to counsel and the right to contest government actions in court are among our most cherished liberties. We cannot, and we must not, allow our civil liberties contained in the Constitution to become a casualty in the war on terrorism.

"The Supreme Court's decisions today are a timely reminder of the constant need to evaluate actions taken in the name of national security, no matter how well-intentioned those actions may be."