Military Commissions Update

In October, the military commission case against the five people accused of planning the 9/11 attacks resumed for the first time since February. The proceedings were derailed almost immediately when Walid bin Attash announced that he wanted the judge to explain the right to proceed pro se. The war court was also faced with issues centered on Judge Pohl’s order that prevented female guards from handling male detainees in cell extractions. When the commissions resumed in December, bin Attash informed the judge that he refused to recognize Cheryl Bormann as his attorney, although she continued to sit at the defense table. Some defense attorneys estimate that it will be at least five years before a trial begins.