Obama Resurrects Gitmo Military Trials

President Obama has given Robert Gates the go-ahead to initiate new military commissions against Guantanamo detainees—something Obama originally banned on the first day of his presidency. Within weeks one or more detainees may face new charges—the Justice Department has already designated some prisoners for military tribunal, including suspected US Cole attack mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the New York Times reports.

The move represents an admission that the controversial prison isn’t going away any time soon; Congress has made closing it all but impossible. The administration is currently circulating drafts for new rules to govern these military tribunals, and preparing an executive order to create a parole board-esque system for reviewing the status of the almost 50 detainees set to be held without trial.