- Susan J. Crawford
Susan J. Crawford is an American lawyer, who was appointed the convening authority for the
Guantanamo military commissions , on February 7, 2007.cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=10493 |title=Seasoned Judge Tapped to Head Detainee Trials |date=February 7, 2007 |publisher=Department of Defense. |accessdate=2007-06-01 [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defenselink.mil%2FReleases%2FRelease.aspx%3FReleaseID%3D10493&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ]Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appointed Crawford to replaceJohn D. Altenburg .cite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-davis10dec10,1,743034.story |title=AWOL military justice |date=December 10, 2007 |publisher=Los Angeles Times . |accessdate=2007-12-10 [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnews%2Fprintedition%2Fasection%2Fla-oe-davis10dec10%2C1%2C743034.story&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ] She had previously served as Judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, Inspector General of the Department of Defense (appointed byGeorge H. W. Bush ), General Counsel for the Department of the Army (appointed byRonald Reagan ) and Assistant State's Attorney for Garrett County, Maryland.cite news |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=17781 |title=Nomination of Susan J. Crawford To Be Inspector General of the Department of Defense |publisher=The Presidency Project |author=John T. Woolley ,Gerhard Peters |date=1989-11-09 |accessdate=2008-08-09 |quote= [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.presidency.ucsb.edu%2Fws%2F%3Fpid%3D17781&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ] [cite news |url=http://www.bucknell.edu/x12875.xml |title=Susan J. Crawford, Class of 1969: 1989 Alumni Association “Achievement in Chosen Profession” Award |publisher= |author= |date= |accessdate=2008-08-04 |quote= [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bucknell.edu%2Fx12875.xml&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ]Education
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Bachelor of Arts ,Bucknell University , 1969cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/d20070207crawford.pdf |title=Susan Crawford |publisher=Department of Defense. |accessdate=2007-06-01 [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defenselink.mil%2Fnews%2Fd20070207crawford.pdf&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ] cite web |url=http://www.bucknell.edu/x34091.xml |title=Crawford to speak at Bucknell |publisher=Bucknell University |date=April 2007 |accessdate=2007-07-20]
*Law degree ,New England School of Law , 1977Negotiated Hick's plea bargain
Crawford is reported to have directly negotiated the plea bargain of
David Hicks , an Australian linked with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, without any input from the Prosecution.cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-03-30-guantanamo-hicks_N.htm |title=Australian Gitmo detainee sentenced |publisher=USA Today |date=March 30, 2007 |accessdate=2007-07-20 [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F2007-03-30-guantanamo-hicks_N.htm&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ]Guantanamo discussion
When speaking at Bucknell University on April 27, 2007 Crawford saidcite news |url=http://www.bucknell.edu/x34233.xml |title=Judge Crawford discusses detainee controversy |publisher=
The Bucknellian |author=Sophia Leong |date=April 27, 2007 |accessdate=2008-04-30]During the same presentation, Crawford also said:quotation|"One of the biggest problems at Guantanamo is that the detainees gain too much weight because we feed them so well." In response to a question as to whether she endorses the practice of extraordinary rendition and the CIA's kidnapping of foreign citizen's in other countries, Crawford said: "Well, I don't think we always have the right to kidnap foreign citizens." [Written notes taken during Crawford's presentation. E-mail dantesvalley@yahoo.com for more information.]
On October 10, 2007
Morris D. Davis , the Chief Prosecutor forOffice of Military Commissions at Guantanamo Bay Cuba, resigned in protest concluding thatcite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-davis10dec10,0,2446661.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail |title=AWOL military justice |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=December 10, 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-10 [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fla-oe-davis10dec10%2C0%2C2446661.story%3Fcoll%3Dla-opinion-rightrail&date=2008-08-09 mirror] ] :quotation
"...full, fair and open trials were not possible under the current system. I resigned on that day because I felt that the system had become deeply politicized and that I could no longer do my job effectively or responsibly."Morris directly cited Susan Crawford as a cause of the problems in the Military Commissions process through her mixing of convening authority and prosecutor roles and her unnecessary use of closed door hearings.Morris called for removal of political appointees Susan Crawford and
William J. Haynes and return of control to uniformed military authorities in order to restore openness and fairness to the Military Commissions process.
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