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ABC 7's Mark Matthews interviewed Visiting Professor and International Human Rights Clinic Director Barbara Olshansky about the Supreme Court's recent ruling on Guantanmo detainees. Olshansky is one of the lawyers working on the range of Guantánamo detention cases—from Rasul v. Bush (2004) to the Boumediene case decided today. The video is available online. Following is an excerpt of the interview transcript:
I spoke with a Stanford lawyer who's been working on this case for more than six years.
Barbara Olshansky's court victory in 2004 led to today's Supreme Court decision. After she won her case, the Bush Administration and Congress responded by passing a new law restricting terror suspects' rights. Today, the Supreme Court ruled that law was unconstitutional.
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But Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, stated "the laws and constitution are designed to survive and remain in force in extraordinary times."
"And that line from Justice Kennedy really is the heart of it," says Stanford law professor Barbara Olshansky.
Olshansky brought the original case that resulted in today's decision. She spoke with me from our sister station in New York."For me, it was something that I was afraid we weren't going to see in my lifetime. I was afraid that we had gone really down a dark road and today, the court lit that beacon again down the path of democracy."
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And for Olshansky, the third time is the charm.
"I feel like I've been floating above the streets of Manhattan today."