"We are pleased with the Court's decision to apply and uphold the right of habeas corpus, one of our oldest Constitutional rights, to Guantanamo Bay detainees," said Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "As the Court found, some of these detainees have been held for over six years, without a meaningful opportunity to challenge their detention.  The Court has recognized that we can and must respect our nation's obligation to due process while still providing effective security against terrorist threats."

The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Boumediene v. Bush, authored by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, provides a thorough Constitutional review and analysis of the habeas corpus right as a fundamental precept of liberty.  The opinion declared that "Liberty and security can be reconciled" and "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

ADL joined a coalition of human rights, public interest and religious groups in a "friend of the court" brief, prepared by the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski, supporting the rights of the detainees.