Sections three, five and seven of the Military Commissions Act claim that detainees lack the right:

◊ To respond to charges against them

◊ To be present at their own trial

◊ To appeal to the Geneva Conventions

◊ To issue a writ of habeas corpus

Each of those rights, of course, is fundamental to the legitimacy of our judicial system.

As a result, the MCA thus represents an unprecedented challenge to American constitutional history.