The National Security Court System: A Natural Evolution of Justice in an Age of Terror - Tapa dura

"The National Security Court System is a recommended read for anyone interested in getting a clear and concise juridical overview of the detainee dilemma and why the current juridical approaches will most likely continue to be ineffective. Although it remains a very highly politicized issue, Sulmasy presents his third way solution in a cogent, documented, and straight-forward manner, devoid of partisan rhetoric, and readily acknowledges the contribution others have made to its development."--American Review of Politics "A solid argument...Summing Up: Recommended."--CHOICE "Sulmasy has performed a tremendous service to those who truly seek to understand the history of military commissions and who want to understand fully the policy choices in front of us. One can only hope that someone with a hand in formulating policy will listen to him."--Engage: The Journal of the Federalist Society's Practice Groups "Sulmasy traces the evolution of military commissions in the United States and outlines a way forward after closing Guantanamo. His pragmatic approach explores merging military and civilian law into a hybrid system of justice for individuals captured in the struggle against global terrorism. This is a must read for understanding how the American justice system detoured into GITMO and where it might go from here in addressing real threats without undermining American values."--Sarah Sewall, Harvard University "Sulmasy's pragmatic, nonpartisan, and results-focused study of the legal history of military commissions and their use, and his proposal for a national security court system, is a valuable addition to the debate surrounding these complex issues."--International Law and Politics

The recent Boumediene v. Bush decision, which tossed aside the dysfunctional military court system envisioned by the Bush administration and upheld the right of habeas corpus for detainees, promises to throw national security law into chaos, and will also probably lead to the closing of Guantanamo. In this timely and much-needed book, Glenn Sulmasy, one of America's leading experts on national security law, opens with a much-needed history of America's long and complicated experience with such courts since the early days of the Republic. After tracing their evolution in the contemporary era, Sulmasy argues for a more sensible approach to the global war on terror's unique set of prisoners. He proposes a reasonable "third way" solution that avoids even more extreme measures, on the one hand, and a complete shuttering of the court system, on the other. Instead, he advocates creating a separate standing judicial system, overseen by civilian judges, that allows for habeas corpus appeals and which focuses exclusively on existing war-on-terror cases as well as the inevitable cases to come. For all those who want to explore the crucial legal issues behind the headlines about Gitmo and the rights of detainees, The National Security Court System offers a clear-headed assessment of where we are and where we ought to be going.