Appeals panel rules against ‘enemy combatant’

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals panel has turned away efforts by a U.S. citizen who was detained for nearly four years as an “enemy combatant” to reinstate a lawsuit against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other government officials.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled unanimously Monday that Jose Padilla’s claims that he was unconstitutionally detained and tortured in the Navy brig in Charleston, S.C., were without merit. Padilla contended that he’s entitled to sue because the government deprived him of other ways to seek remedies for his treatment.

The appeals panel affirmed a federal judge’s dismissal of Padilla’s lawsuit, ruling that Congress, not the court system, has jurisdiction over military detention cases and that Congress hasn’t explicitly provided a remedy for civil damages.