Latest at Gitmo's Camp Justice: Today's pretrial hearings in the 9/11 case are in an overnight recess after a brief morning session. All 5 defendants came to court for their first hearing of the pandemic, and lawyers had just begun questioning the new judge for conflicts when... 
A higher court issued a complex 23-page ruling on a defense claim of shadowy decision making about the the judge picking process. Now the court is in recess to give all sides time to study it.
A few other observations from the war court this morning.
--This was the first 9/11 session of the pandemic and everybody in court wore masks -- except 4 of the 5 accused 9/11 plotters and the new judge, who took his off while being questioned about his background.
--This was the first 9/11 session of the pandemic and everybody in court wore masks -- except 4 of the 5 accused 9/11 plotters and the new judge, who took his off while being questioned about his background.
On the prosecution side, every single person, from lawyer to paralegal, was a civilian. The chief prosecutor, BG Mark Martins is retiring, and he and the other uniformed trial counsel were not present. Case veteran Clayton Trivett spoke for the government. nytimes.com/2021/07/09/us/…
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the accused 9/11 plot mastermind, looks much the same as early 2020 court appearances. His beard is still orange. His attire was traditional. He offered one-word, "yes," he understood his right to to waive attendance of the rest of this session's hearings.
The beards of the two youngest defendants -- KSM's nephew Ammar al Baluchi and Walid bin Attash, in their mid 40s -- are now graying.
Guards provided a padded rehabilitation chair for defendant Mustafa al Hawsawi, who sits on a pillow in court due to rectal damage.
Guards provided a padded rehabilitation chair for defendant Mustafa al Hawsawi, who sits on a pillow in court due to rectal damage.
Just five people represented the September 11 victims. A woman whose NYC firefighter brother was killed on 9/11 watched the proceedings with her husband -- and a family of three, a couple and young man, made their first ever visits to the court as "VFMs," victim family members.
And for you deep divers out there, here's a copy of the appeals panel ruling that the lawyers are now studying before resuming an examination of the judge, Col. McCall, tomorrow on whether to challenge his ability to preside. int.nyt.com/data/documentt…
This part struck me... More than a decade after Congress and the Executive reformed the formula for the Gitmo war court, an appeals panel is suggesting a fundamental change to how military judges are assigned and rotate through the hybrid federal-military court.
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