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Hamdi Vs Rumsfeld Case Study

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The decision of the Supreme Court case Hamdi v. Rumsfeld was important in deciding the amount of power the United States’ government has during wartime and national crises. The case debated between actions necessary in order to protect the nation and the guaranteed rights and liberties granted by the 5th and 14th Amendments in the United States Constitution. Specifically, the case was set to discuss whether a United States citizen, accused of treason as an “enemy combatant,” had the right of due process of law guaranteed by the constitution (O’Connor, 2004). These Amendments are placed to protect each citizen’s civil liberties. Yaser Esam Hamdi was a United States citizen, born in Louisiana, yet lived in Saudi Arabia. Hamdi was said to have …show more content…

Several previous Supreme Court cases have dealt with war prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay and their rights to file writ of habeas corpus petitions. One of which is a landmark case that also was decided on in 2004. Rasul v. Bush ended with the Court ruling that prisoners held Guantanamo Bay had the right to file these petitions in order to challenge their imprisonment. Hamdi v. Rumsfeld was also used as a precedent for several future cases. In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Hamdan was also labeled as an enemy combatant and was given the right to object his detainment through the 5th Amendment Due Process clause (“Rasul v. Bush,” 2006). The impact left by Hamdi v Rumsfeld also affected the case of Bounmediene v. Bush in 2006. This case, once again, involved the claiming that an individual was against the United States in arms and labeled an enemy combatant. Bounmediene and a few other men were captured in a plot to attack the United States Embassy and imprisoned in Guantanamo bay where a writ of habeas corpus petition was filed. Just as the writ petition suspension was deemed unconstitutional for Hamdi, it was said to be unconstitutional in this case as well affirming that most prisoners held at Guantanamo bay had the liberty to file for the petition (“Bounmediene v. Bush,”

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