US to proceed with Hicks military trial despite Supreme Court case News
US to proceed with Hicks military trial despite Supreme Court case

[JURIST] The Pentagon has said that it is committed to proceeding with a preliminary military commission hearing for Australian Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee David Hicks [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] despite the US Supreme Court's announcement Monday that it will hear a case challenging the legality [JURIST report] of the military commissions. The Pentagon says that it will not voluntarily delay the November 18th start [JURIST report] of Hicks' case while it waits for the outcome of the Supreme Court hearing. Hicks' military lawyer, Major Michael Mori [Ninemsn profile], has said he is surprised the Pentagon plans to proceed "when the US Supreme Court is going to review the lawfulness of [the] process," and is considering asking a civil court to impose a stay on Hicks' hearing which would force the Pentagon to delay Hicks' trial. Hicks has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 when he was captured fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. Australia's ABC News has more.

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