User:Geo Swan/Walter Ruiz

Commander Walter Ruiz is an American lawyer and an officer in the United States Naval Reserve. Ruiz worked as a Federal public defender prior to the Navy reactivating him in April 2009, and assigning him to defend Guantanamo captives.

After Ruiz replace Keubler he too became a vocal critic of the military commission process, and how it undermined defense attorney`s efforts.

In 2009 he was appointed to serve as Defense attorney for captives who faced charges before the Guantanamo military commissions.

In January 2013 Ruiz requested permission for suspects`attorneys to stay for up to 48 hours in the high-security Camp Platinum. Ruiz argued that the defense needed to see the conditions of detention for themselves, and that roadblocks imposed upon the defense justified the extended stay. Presiding Officer James Pohl expressed incredulity that Ruiz was requesting permission to sleep with his clients, until Ruiz repeated his explanation that he merely wanted to be on hand in a neighboring cell.

In February 2013 Ruiz reported that Guantanamo guards had improperly seized privileged documents his clients needed to aid in their defense. Ruiz reported that security officials had improperly been secretly monitoring the conversations between the suspects and their attorneys. According to Jane Sutton, reporting for Reuters, Ruiz got into a shouting match with retired admiral Bruce E. MacDonald, when he was testifying. MacDonald is the Convening Authority, and thus Ruiz's boss.

On February 12, 2013, Wells Bennett, a Brooking Institute Fellow quoted Ruiz`s questions to court official