Bush's 2008 budget item: hire nearly two dozen new Justice Department lawyers to fight Gitmo suits

[sabra]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/02/white_house_ced.html

White House Ceding Legal Ground in Detainee Battle?

A line item buried in the president's budget reveals the Bush administration is gearing up for emboldened legal challenges from Gitmo detainees.

A brief paragraph in President Bush's 2008 budget request shows he plans to hire nearly two dozen new Justice Department lawyers to fight suits brought by Guantanamo detainees challenging their imprisonment.

The boost is planned despite a new law that should prevent detainees' claims from ever reaching a U.S. court, suggesting the White House may believe that law will be quickly reversed.

The increase in lawyers "signals real concern on the administration's part," said Vincent Warren, president of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, that the new law is unconstitutional and will be struck down. His organization represents over 200 Guantanamo detainees and has helped lawyers representing hundreds of others.

[halobeam]

1. Isn't there a budget hearing today at 10a.m?

I believe Condy is going to be questioned there. Great issue to throw at her mercilessly.