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The Military Commissions Act of 2006 mandated that rulings from the Guantanamo military commissions could be appealed to a Court of Military Commission Review (CMCR), which would sit in Washington, D.C.

In any event, the CMCR was not ready when it was first needed. Peter Brownback and Keith J. Allred, the officers appointed to serve as Presiding Officers in the Military Commissions that charged Omar Khadr and Salim Ahmed Hamdan dismissed the charges against the two men because the Military Commissions Act only authorized the commissions to try "unlawful enemy combatants". Khadr and Hamdan, like 570 other Guantanamo captives had merely been confirmed to be "enemy combatants".

The Court of Military Commission Review ruled that Presiding Officers were, themselves, authorized to rule whether suspects were "illegal enemy combatants".

Current composition of the court

To be eligible for a seat on the Court of Military Commission Review, candidates must currently be serving as a judge on either the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, or be nominated by the President of the United States. In 2016, all judges on the court began receiving presidential appointments with Senate confirmations.

Former judges

Julie Huygen (2019) and Luis O. Rodriguez (2020) were also confirmed by the Senate as judges of USCMCR, but did apparently not assume their positions.

United States v. Mohammed Jawad

Stephen R. Henley, the Presiding Officer in United States v. Mohamed Jawad had ruled that evidence that was the result of torture could not be used. On February 9, 2009, three judges from the Court, Frank J. Williams, Dan O'Toole, and D. Francis were empaneled to consider whether they should comply with the President's Executive Order halting all their proceedings.

Suspension

On January 22, 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13492 ordering the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, within one year. That order temporarily suspended all proceedings before the Court of Military Commission Review. Congress later blocked the closure of the camp.

Appeal of the verdict of Ali Al Bahlul's military commission

Carol Rosenberg, writing in the Miami Herald, reported that Ali Al Bahlul's military defense attorneys filed a fifty-page appeal of his sentence on free speech grounds on September 2, 2009. They claimed his production of al Qaeda propaganda material was protected by the first amendment of the United States Constitution.

Mr. al Bahlul is not a sympathetic defendant. He embraces an ideology that glorifies violence, justifies terrorism and opposes constitutional democracy. As offensive as it may be, is speech that falls within the core protections of the First Amendment, which forbids the prosecution of 'the thoughts, the beliefs, the ideals of the accused.

Three of the Court's judges assembled on January 26, 2010, to hear oral arguments. Following that, the CMCR determined to proceed with the case en banc and held a hearing on March 16, 2011. The CMCR issued an opinion on September 9, 2011, that upheld al Bahlul's conviction.

Salim Hamdan's appeal

Attorneys working on behalf of Salim Hamdan have appealed his conviction, and oral arguments were heard on January 26, 2010. Hamdan has already finished serving his sentence.

Replacement proposal

Carol Rosenberg, writing in the Miami Herald, reported that the Obama administration had proposed a change in where appeals of the rulings and verdicts of military commissions would be heard. The proposed changes would have had them first heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, which Rosenberg noted was an experienced, respected 58-year-old institution. Under the current rules of the court, there is no appeal to rulings of the Court of Military Commission Review; under the proposed changes, appeals could ultimately have been taken to the United States Supreme Court.

References

1. ^ Matt Apuzzo (August 22, 2007). "Growing Pains for Terror Appeals Court". Washington Post. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
2. ^ Jason Jones. "Navy Judges Lend Expertise to the Court of Military Commission Review" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
3. "Military Commission Review Panel Takes Oath of Office". Department of Defense. September 22, 2004. Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. "Q&A: Guantanamo detentions". BBC News. January 22, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
5. Apuzzo, Matt. "Growing Pains for Terror Appeals Court". The Oklahoman. The Oklahoman. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
6. Sergeant (June 4, 2007). "Charges Dismissed Against Canadian at Guantanamo". Department of Defense. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
7. Sergeant (June 4, 2007). "Judge Dismisses Charges Against Second Guantanamo Detainee". Department of Defense. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
8. Matt Apuzzo (August 24, 2007). "White House Defends US Terror Tribunals". Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
9. "A new court for Gitmo". Court Artist. August 25, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007.
10. "Factsheet: Military Commissions". Center for Constitutional Rights. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009.
11. "U.S. Court of Military Commission Review (USCMCR) History". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
12. ^ "Action Memo" (PDF). Department of Defense. May 4, 2007.
13. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review" (PDF). U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. March 1, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
14. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review" (PDF). U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. October 11, 2011.
15. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review" (PDF). U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. May 4, 2012.
16. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013.
17. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. February 25, 2015. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015.
18. "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. October 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014.
19. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
20. "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. January 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016.
21. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. January 20, 2022. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022.
22. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. September 1, 2018. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018.
23. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. May 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019.
24. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. April 2, 2022. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022.
25. ^ "Judges U.S. Court of Military Commission Review". U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. February 28, 2021. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021.
26. "PN500 — Air Force". U.S. Congress. March 28, 2019.
27. "PN2166 — Luis O. Rodriguez — Army". U.S. Congress. September 30, 2020.
28. "U.S. court hears arguments over young detainee's confession". CBC News. January 13, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
29. "UNITED STATES COURT OF MILITARY COMMISSION REVIEW Before F. Williams, D. Francis, and D. O'Toole" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. February 9, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 4, 2009.
30. "EXECUTIVE ORDER – REVIEW AND DISPOSITION OF INDIVIDUALS DETAINED AT THE GUANTÁNAMO BAY NAVAL BASE AND CLOSURE OF DETENTION FACILITIES". The White House. January 22, 2009. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
31. ^ Carol Rosenberg (September 2, 2009). "Bin Laden aide's Gitmo conviction appealed". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 2, 2009.
32. Michel Paradis; Todd E. Pierce; Katherine Doxakis; Scott Medlyn (September 1, 2009). "Brief on behalf of appellant: CMCR Case no. 09-001" (PDF). Department of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2010.
33. ^ "US Military Panel Hears 1st Guantanamo Appeal". Voice of America. January 26, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
34. "Summary of Arguments in the Government's Briefs in al-Bahlul and Hamdan". Lawfare. March 16, 2011. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
35. "Panel upholds Al Qaida filmmaker's life sentence". Miami Herald. September 10, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.

v t e United States Military Judicial Authority
Military justice Law of the United States
Authority	United States Constitution, Article I Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
Standards	Manual for Courts-Martial Convening authority
Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG)	Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, Army (Army JAG) Marine Corps Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, Navy (Navy JAG) Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, Air Force Coast Guard Coast Guard Legal Division
Non-judicial punishment	UCMJ Article 15 Military tribunals in the United States
Court systems	Trial Courts-martial Guantanamo military commissions Appeal Army Court of Criminal Appeals Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals Court of Military Commission Review Discretionary review Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Supreme Court

• United States military law
• Guantanamo Bay captives legal and administrative procedures
• United States military courts
• 2006 establishments in the United States
• Courts and tribunals established in 2006