Episode 360 • • 2:58 - 13:45
360: Pencil of Promise
Senate Bill 1867, National Defense Authorization Act, Detainee Matters
Senate Bill 1867, sponsored by Senators John McCain and Carl Levin, contains provisions allowing the military to detain American citizens suspected of supporting Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. The legislation potentially bypasses the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which historically prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. A military judge would determine the status of individuals as "unprivileged enemy belligerents" without traditional Miranda rights.