Prosecutors Ordered to Explain Holding Man Who Isn't Charged
Government lawyers have a week to explain why an American captured with Taliban fighters is being held without any charges filed against him, Judge Robert G. Doumar of Federal District Court ordered today. The detainee, Yasser Esam Hamdi, 21, was born in Louisiana. Justice Department lawyers say "enemy combatants" may be held without charges as long as the United States is at war. The judge indicated he thought that position, given the continuing battle against terrorism, meant Mr. Hamdi could be held forever.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/19/national/19DETA.html