Patrick Leahy: “Last year, Congress committed an historic mistake by suspending the Great Writ of habeas corpus--not just for those…”

“Last year, Congress committed an historic mistake by suspending the Great Writ of habeas corpus--not just for those confined at Guantanamo Bay but for millions of legal residents in the United States. The Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing in May on this bill illustrated the broad agreement among representatives from diverse political beliefs and backgrounds that the mistake committed in the Military Commissions Act of 2006 must be corrected. The Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007, S.185, the bill on which this amendment is based, has 30 cosponsors. The Senate Judiciary Committee reported it on a bipartisan basis. I hope Senators will review the committee report on this measure. Habeas corpus was recklessly undermined in last year's Military Commissions Act. Like the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the elimination of habeas rights was an action driven by fear, and it was a stain on America's reputation in the world. This is a time of testing.…”