Statue of LibertyJudge Hogan (h/t cinnamonape) lays down the law:

"The time has come to move these forward," Judge Thomas F. Hogan said Tuesday during the first hearing over whether the detainees are being held lawfully. "Set aside every other case that’s pending in the division and address this case first."

The government whines:

The Justice Department is asking for about eight weeks to start doing so. It is dramatically expanding the litigation team handling the cases and is asking for time to get the new attorneys brought up to speed, settled in their new offices and approved to handle the classified evidence.

It also wants time to update and add to the evidence that was originally used to justify holding the detainees.

"The government should be entitled, in 2008, to present its best case," Justice Department attorney Gregory G. Katsas said.

And Hogan waxes gently sarcastic:

Lawyers for the detainees adamantly oppose that move and Hogan was skeptical of the plan. If the evidence was enough to warrant holding the detainees for six years, he said he didn’t understand why it suddenly needs to be changed.

"If it wasn’t sufficient, then they shouldn’t have been picked up," Hogan said, adding that he probably would make the government explain any proposed change.

Lately it seems like there are a lot of judges who, should the bench lose its appeal, would make excellent bloggers. Justice Hogan, if you ever want to blog, drop us a line!

Hogan just called the emperor on his clothes. Too bad that the US kept all those men for 6 years, because those who weren’t terrorists; those who didn’t hate America; after 6 years of being held for no good reason, well, they probably do hate America now. I would.

Nonetheless, the correct response to injustice is justice. In moving to set this right, those parts of America which still stand for America’s true ideals like justice for all, continue to grind towards American redemption.

We all fail. It’s men like Hogan who redeem both themselves and their country.

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