On the recordMay 17, 2012
I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of the amendment and thank my colleagues--Mr. Landry, Mr. Gohmert, and Mr. Goodlatte--for their hard work and their strong leadership on this important issue. I also want to thank the chairman for incorporating the Rigell-Landry bill in the underlying bill, the Right to Habeas Corpus Act. The amendment before us this evening provides absolute clarity that every American has full protection under, and access to, the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus. Specifically, it requires that a detained person has the ability to file an application for habeas corpus relief in an appropriate district court no later than 30 days after the date on which the person was placed in military custody. Further, it requires that the administration--current and those to follow--that Congress is notified within 48 hours of a person having been detained under the AUMF in the United States. The 30-day access to habeas corpus and the 48-hour reporting requirement strengthen the underlying bill. They strengthen liberty. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
