Suspected terrorists and enemy combatants held by the military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Naval Base can petition their detention, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.In a 5-4 ruling, the justices U.S. military lacks legal autonomy to prosecute over 300 suspects at Gitmo. The ruling comes as another legal blow to the Bush administration's war on terrorism policy.
The case surrounded detainees rights to petition for writs of habeas corpus and to be tried in civilian courts instead military tribunals.
In 2006, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act removing court jurisdiction from hearing such cases.
This is the third Supreme Court ruling pertaining to indefinite imprisonment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay base, who the government labels "enemy combatants."
