Block Haynes’ Nomination To Lifetime Position
Bush is still backing William Haynes for a lifetime position on the powerful 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. You don’t like activist judges? Check out the history of Bush’s nominations.
Here’s a good one.
Haynes, in his job as General Counsel to the Department of Defense, dismissed and "scolded" human rights groups raising allegations of prisoner abuse in February 2003. He was supposed to ensure military compliance with all laws (including the Geneva Conventions, federal law, and the laws of war), but instead
Helped develop the Defense Department’s military tribunal plan, which has been condemned by human rights organizations and our nation’s closest allies.
Signed off on the legality of withholding Geneva Conventions protections from hundreds of persons detained at Guantanamo, defined as prisoners of war.
Supports the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens by the Executive Branch without legal counsel or meaningful judicial review.
Helped make it harder for the officers with the military’s own Judge Advocate General Corps to observe interrogations. Haynes’ actions were so alarming that some JAG officers warned of “a disaster waiting to happen” and sought outside intervention.
Misled a U.S. Senator who had specifically asked about policies for detention and treatment of prisoners. (William J. Haynes, General Counsel, Department of Defense, Letter to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, June 25, 2003.)
And incidentally, Haynes has almost no in-court trial experience, and no direct appellate experience at all.
You can sign a petition here, and this is how I got the informationm and lifted all these links. You just don’t hear about these things on the news anymore.