Deborah Pearlstein Left Quotations

The questions this case presents go to the heart of our constitutional system, and, if left unanswered, pose significant threats to our troops. These are the first military trials of their kind the United States had conducted since World War II, and we're gratified the court has recognized the need to act.

In 2004 the court said there is no such thing as unlimited executive power, even in wartime, but it left for another day the substantive rights any individuals have. This is really the Supreme Court's first opportunity to put meat on the bones of those rights.