Guantanamo pretrial hearing in Sept. 11 case stalls when defendants refuse to attend court

October 14th, 2009 Judge shuts public access to Blackwater hearingsWASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday shut down public access to pretrial hearings in the prosecution of five Blackwater security guards for allegedly killing Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. The hearings will delve into whether government investigators were tainted by statements the guards gave shortly after the shootings on Sept.

September 22nd, 2009 US releases new letter from 9/11 defendantsGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — Alleged terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed calls the Sept. 11 attack a "noble victory" and President Barack Obama a liar in a letter released by the military's war crimes court Tuesday.

September 21st, 2009 Another 60-day delay for Gitmo trialsGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — A military judge agreed Monday to another delay in the war crimes trial of five Guantanamo prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 attacks to give U.S.

September 21st, 2009 Sept. 11 mastermind due back in Gitmo courtGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — Alleged terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was expected to make what could be his last court appearance at this military base as he responds Monday to an attempt to delay his war crimes trial. The chief military prosecutor said Mohammed, who refused to attend his last court session, would show up to respond to a request for another continuance while President Barack Obama's administration decides whether to try the alleged plotters of the Sept.

August 26th, 2009 Gitmo judge bars defense from secret CIA prisonsSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Lawyers for a Guantanamo prisoner charged in the Sept. 11 attack do not need to visit secret CIA prisons where he was once held since the sites have likely changed and are no longer relevant, a military judge ruled.

August 20th, 2009 Ex-Bosnian leader Karadzic's genocide trial nearsTHE HAGUE, Netherlands — The pretrial judge in the war crimes case against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic said Thursday he believes the case is ready for trial. The recommendation by Judge Iain Bonomy to the president of the U.N.

July 24th, 2009 Rights group makes case for moving Gitmo trialsSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The vast majority of recent terrorism prosecutions in the U.S. ended in conviction and prison sentences, a human rights group said Thursday in a study arguing that American government doesn't need its special war crimes court or indefinite detention to deal with the nearly 230 men held at Guantanamo.

July 17th, 2009 Gitmo closure angers families of Sept. 11 victimsGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — Families of people killed in the Sept.

July 16th, 2009 Censors come out at Gitmo war crimes hearingGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — A reference to harsh treatment at CIA prisons brought out Guantanamo's censors Thursday as an official of the war crimes court abruptly cut the sound to prevent spectators from hearing classified information. Cmdr. Suzanne Lachelier, a lawyer appointed by the Pentagon to defend 9/11 suspect Ramzi bin al Shibh, began discussing the prisoner's treatment before he was taken to Guantanamo in September 2006 when the censor hit the switch.

July 7th, 2009 Defense in Sept. 11 case seeks 'black site' accessSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Lawyers for an alleged Sept.

June 23rd, 2009 Rapper Lil Wayne appears in Yuma, Ariz., courtPHOENIX — Rapper Lil Wayne appeared in court for a pretrial update on the investigation into drug possession and weapons charges he faces in Yuma County, Ariz. His attorney said he was in good spirits, even stopping to sign autographs for about a dozen fans after the hearing in Yuma.

June 11th, 2009 Dormant terrorism case gets new life with detaineeNEW YORK — The arrival of the first Guantanamo detainee for a U.S. trial led federal prosecutors to dust off a 150-page indictment that made Osama bin Laden a fugitive and introduced al-Qaida to Americans in the weeks before the 2001 terrorism attacks.

June 1st, 2009 Canadian at Guantanamo asks to dismiss US lawyersGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — A Canadian detainee rejected his U.S. military attorneys Monday at the first session of the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals called under President Barack Obama, complicating his high-profile case and the administration's timeline for closing the prison.

May 31st, 2009 New legal battle in GuantanamoGUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — A session of the Guantanamo war crimes court that began Sunday will likely show the difficulties President Barack Obama faces in changing the system and closing the prison by January. The case in question, of a Canadian charged with killing an American soldier, is stalled by infighting among lawyers.

April 29th, 2009 Defendant loses case over jailhouse informantsWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has made it harder for defendants to keep their comments to jailhouse informants from being used against them at trial. The justices, by a 7-2 vote, said a defendant's statement to an informant can be used to poke holes in trial testimony, even if it was elicited in violation of the Constitution.