Supremes reject Gitmo military tribunal

Reuters: “In a major defeat for the Bush administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the military tribunal for a Guantanamo prisoner cannot proceed because it violates the Geneva Conventions.”

This rebuke won't be easy for the White House spin machine to blow off. It also means the Defense Department now has got to figure out what the hell to do with all those prisoners at Gitmo, not to mention the ones being held in other dungeons, in nameless places.

Can’t you hear the bellyaching about “activist judges,” already? Now, let's see how Sen. George Allen and other Bush yes-men in Congress react to this ruling. Can Allen campaign against a Supreme Court packed with conservatives? This development is going to put Allen and his ilk in a very difficult position.

Update: What’s next? Here’s an AP story that speculates on that.

“Defense lawyers and human rights activists praised Thursday's Supreme Court decision rejecting military war crimes trials for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, but most felt it likely won't force a quick shutdown of the prison...”