Rasul v. Bush
United States Supreme Court
542 U.S. 466 (2004)
Following the September 11 attacks and the congressional authorization of military force, Rasul and other foreign nationals (defendants in the caption, detainees) were captured abroad and detained at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — territory over which Cuba retains formal sovereignty but the U.S. holds exclusive jurisdiction and control under a lease. Their relatives filed habeas petitions claiming the detainees were innocent, uncharged, and denied access to counsel or courts; the district court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, the D.C. Circuit affirmed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether federal courts have jurisdiction to hear habeas corpus petitions filed by foreign nationals held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.