Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are submitting this statement into the record because it has been suggested by some that this legislation would prohibit litigants from raising alleged violations of the Geneva Conventions. This suggestion is misleading on three counts. First, it presumes that individuals currently have a private right of action under Geneva. Secondly, it implies that the Congress is restricting individuals from raising claims that the Geneva Conventions have been violated as a collateral matter once they have an independent cause of action. Finally, this legislation would not stop in any way a court from exercising any power it has to consider the United States' obligations under the Geneva Conventions, regardless of what litigants say or do not say in the documents that they file with the court. The Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan left untouched the widely-held view that the Geneva Conventions provide no private rights of action to individuals.”