History & Law: CONSTITUTION DAY COMMEMORATION: GUANTÁNAMO BAY, MILITARY TRIALS & FOREVER PRISONERS

“Pick-and-choose patriotism” is how the U.S. government approach to Guantánamo Bay was described by a defense lawyer in the U.S. Military Commissions in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Guantánamo Bay is simultaneously within and outside U.S. legal systems, creating what can be understood as “selective constitutionalism,” with the U.S. Constitution inapplicable in certain respects. Marny Requa, J.D., GCU associate professor of criminal justice and homeland security and director of the criminal justice and human rights program, will put a spotlight on Guantánamo Bay. She’ll cover use of the naval base for military detentions since 2002, the position of detainees, and the few cases tried by the commissions. Moderated by Scott H. Bennett, GCU professor of history and chair of the Department of History, Geography, and Political Science, legal and political dilemmas related to the military base will be discussed along with potential alternatives for Guantánamo’s “forever prisoners.”

Location: McAuley Heritage Center

Cost: FREE. Tickets must be reserved online in advance; no tickets will be issued at the door.