42 minutes ago
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 25, 2015
A military judge halted all proceedings Wednesday in the Sept. 11 terror case at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, ruling that a Pentagon edict requiring trial judges to live there for the trial’s duration constituted unlawful influence.
Army Judge Col. James Pohl, chief of the Guantanamo military commission, issued the stay after a defense motion calling for a dismissal of charges against Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Al Qaeda’s second-in-command at the time, and four others accused as accomplices.
The order requiring judges to remain in Guantanamo constitutes “at least the appearance of, an unlawful attempt to pressure the military Judge to accelerate the pace of litigation and an improper attempt to usurp judicial discretion,” Pohl wrote.
The order could conceivably be viewed by outside parties as an attempt to compromise the judiciary’s independence, Pohl added.
The story is developing. Check back later for updates.
slavin.erik@stripes.com Twitter: @eslavin_stripes
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