W&L law professors lay out legal plan for Gitmo detainees

  It’s called the “Lexington Principles.“

  It’s a set of legal recommendations from a think tank, many of whom are associated with Washington & Lee University’s law school.

  Released in April, the group’s goal is to provide a firm, neutral foundation for debate on what legal rights to grant Gitmo detainees, and any future suspected terrorists captured abroad.

  “The problem we’ve had over the past eight years is the following:  the people who are members of al-Qaeda are not classic criminals, and they’re not classic soldiers,“ explained Principles contributor and W&L law professor, Mark Drumbl.

  “They’re sort of in between the two,“ he said.

  “Instead of having no law apply to [the detainees], the purpose [of the Lexington Principles] is to have a minimum [legal] standard,“ Drumbl said.  “Let’s create a new area of law,“ he said.

  The text of the document contains 45 “principles,“ or legal recommendations for the rights of each detainee.

  The group sent the text to members of Congress for reference in any future debate on the legal rights of detainees.

  Drumbl said the group’s primary aim is to “preserve the dignity of the United States while at the same time not compromising national security.“

  You can read the principles by clicking on the link here.