A ruling Monday by U.S. Federal Judge Joyce Hens Green, who was called back from retirement in order to adjudicate the civil rights of the 550 alleged terrorist detainees the Bush Administration is holding at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba:

“Although this nation unquestionably must take strong action under the leadership of the commander in chief to protect itself against enormous and unprecedented threats … ” that necessity cannot negate the existence of the most basic fundamental rights for which the people of this country have fought and died for well over 200 years.”

Green is allowing the Bush Administration to appeal her ruling that its actions are unconstitutional. She specifically ruled that hearings set up by the government to determine if the prisoners are “enemy combatants” are unconstitutional. Those hearings, called Combatant Status Review Tribunals, had been criticized by civil rights groups because detainees are not represented by lawyers and are not told of some of the evidence against them