WASHINGTON -- November 29 -- Tomorrow, lawyers with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) will ask two federal court judges to forcefully reject the Bush Administration’s effort to dismiss 12 Habeas Corpus petitions brought on behalf of individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay. In an extraordinary move, the government is essentially seeking to overturn the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case, Rasul v. Bush. In that case, CCR successfully argued that detainees being held indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay without charge or trial have a right to judicial review of the legality of their detentions.

“The Administration’s utter lack of respect for a ruling of the Supreme Court is shocking, and reveals a deep lack of faith in the integrity of this country’s own democratic institutions,” remarked Barbara Olshansky, CCR’s Deputy Director for Litigation. “How can we light the way to democracy for other countries when our Executive Branch officials themselves flaunt the law?”

Oral argument on the government's motion to dismiss ten of the habeas cases will take place on Wednesday, December 1, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. before Federal District Court Judge Joyce Hens Greene. On Thursday, December 2nd, Federal District Court Judge Leon will hear argument in two other cases. The oral argument on will take place in Courtroom 2 at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., 333 Constitution Avenue. The government and the petitioners will each have one and one-half hours to present their arguments to the court.

Arguing for the petitioners will be CCR’s Barbara Olshansky, CCR cooperating attorney Joe Margulies of the Macarthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago Law School, Thomas Wilner of Shearman and Sterling, and David Remes of Covington & Burling.

Counsel for the Guantanamo prisoners will be available to speak with the press at a news conference on the courthouse steps after the argument.

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