Reason Writers on TV: Brian Doherty on RT Talking Rand Paul's Stand For the 6th Amendment
Rand Paul wants his Senate colleagues to vote on an amendment to a defense authorization bill that would guarantee that, to quote the amendment:
A citizen of the United States who is captured or arrested in the United States and detained by the Armed Forces of the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40) shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense…
The rest of the Senate does not seem inclined to want this vote to happen. I blogged about this last week, and talked about it on RT this afternoon:
From Roll Call today:
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., held up the defense bill last week, seeking a deal to secure a vote on a contentious amendment about jury trials for Americans detained as part of alleged acts of terrorism.
Without making an agreement with Paul, [Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid would have to file a cloture motion to even start the floor debate, which would burn valuable time. Other senators want to offer significant amendments, as well.
Matt Welch on how Rand Paul goes against the GOP grain on defense spending.
