Court Will Hear Argument from Media and ACLU During 9/11 Case's Next Session

Today, the military commission released an order stating that it will hear oral argument from the ACLU and a coalition of 14 media organizations at the upcoming hearing in the 9/11 case. The military commission stated that it will permit the ACLU and media coalition to argue their positions on August 22 at a time to be determined. Pentagon-detailed defense attorneys welcomed today’s ruling. “Oral argument from the media and ACLU will emphasize the critical public interest in open proceedings at Guantanamo,” said James Connell, attorney for accused logistical co-conspirator Ammar al Baluchi, also known as Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. The argument over access to testimony by the defendants is just one of the issues relating to classified evidence expected to be heard later this month. Other issues include presumptive classification—the Guantanamo rule that all prisoner statements are considered classified—and the prosecution’s attempt to invoke classified information privilege using documents it refuses to provide to the defense.