User:Geo Swan/userified/2012-06/USA v. Al Qahtani

On November 7, 2005, the United States charged Guantanamo captive Jabran Said Bin Al Qahtani before a military commission. The charges weren't made public until December 20, 2005.

His first hearing was in late April 2006. Al Qahtani only attented the first part of his hearing. When he was given an opportunity to speak he rejected the authority of the court, and rejected the help of Lieutenant Colonel Brian Boyles, the military lawyer assigned to defend him. Captain Daniel O'Toole called a recess. Al Qahtani did not appear after the recess.

Although al Qahtani rejected Boyles help he nevertheless continued to work to challenge O'Toole's authority. According to Daniel Morgan, reporting for Reuters, Boyles assert O'Toole had shown a bias for the Prosecution when he disallowed al Qahtani to access evidence the Prosecution intended to use.

In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, in July 2006, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Bush Presidency lacked the constitutional authority to set up the military commissions. Only Congress had the authority to set up military commissions. Congress subsequently passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Al Qahtani had charges filed against him in May of 2008 and again in January of 2009.