FRANK DUNHAM

My name is Frank Dunham.  I am a public defender and one of my clients is Yaser Hamdi.  He is an American citizen who was held in solitary confinement for more than two years.  A judge told the government that I should be allowed to visit him, but the government refused.  They said he was an "enemy combatant" and should not have any constitutional rights.

I appealed to the US Supreme Court which I'm happy to say agreed with me.  The court ruled that American citizens cannot simply be stripped of their rights without some sort of hearing. 

But rather than giving Mr. Hamdi a hearing, the Justice Department decided to make a deal with him.  It agreed to send him back to Saudi Arabia where he grew up if he would give up his US citizenship and not talk about his imprisonment.  If they really had evidence he was a terrorist, why did they let him go instead of taking him to court?  After all, they could show a judge their evidence behind closed doors, if necessary.  What has happened to the rule of law?