TWO IMPORTANT RULINGS

Friday was a busy day. Judge Kessler stepped up to the plate and not only ordered that the force feeding hearing be made public (she specifically found the gamesmanship of the government of waiting until less than two weeks before the hearing to request that the hearing be done behind closed doors "deeply troubling"). The good judge also ordered that the video tapes of the force feeding of Dhiab be unsealed and available to the press. The judge deserves credit for these two orders as all of the judges in the DC District Court of late have side stepped their judicial roles in the Guantanamo cases apparently waiting for something to happen in the political process. This lack of action by the judges has been worrisome-- maybe some of the other judges will decide to also step up to the plate and hold the government accountable for conduct in the Gitmo proceedings.