Supreme Court Justice (nominated by Pres. George W. Bush 2005)
Military tribunals for terrorists are ok
Roberts was part of a unanimous decision last week that allowed the Pentagon to proceed with plans to use military tribunals to try terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.
Source: The Associated Press
Jul 19, 2005
Bar veterans from suing the new Iraqi government
In a decision in June 2004, Roberts went even further than his colleagues in supporting the Bush administration in a case that pitted the government against veterans of the first Gulf War.
American soldiers captured and tortured by the Iraqi government during the first Gulf War sued the Iraqi government in U.S. court and won nearly $1 billion in damages at the district court level.
Roberts, alone among the circuit judges who ruled with the government, said the federal courts did not even have jurisdiction to consider the victims' claim. An appeal is before the Supreme Court.
But once Saddam was toppled in 2003, the Bush administration wanted to protect the new Iraqi government from liability and intervened to block the award.
Source: Tony Mauro, Legal Times
Feb 22, 2005
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