Title
The Legacy of the Magna Carta in Recent Supreme Court Decisions on Detainees' Rights
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2010
Journal Title
PS: Political Science & Politics
Volume
43
Number
3
Pages
483-486
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
The legacy of the Magna Carta is apparent in the Supreme Court's recent decisions regarding detainees' rights. Asked to evaluate strong claims of executive power, the Court has had occasion to consider the origin and scope of habeas corpus, which many scholars see as a product of the Magna Carta. The majority opinion in Boumediene v. Bush (2008) traced the history of the writ of habeas corpus back to the Magna Carta and relied on that lineage to rule that Guantanamo detainees were entitled to petition for habeas corpus, even though Congress had explicitly denied them that right in the 2006 Military Commissions Act (MCA) and the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act (DTA).
Recommended Citation
Pallitto, Robert, "The Legacy of the Magna Carta in Recent Supreme Court Decisions on Detainees' Rights" (2010). Political Science Publications. 70.
https://scholarship.shu.edu/political-science-publications/70
