Judge blocks provision for indefinite military detention of suspected terrorists

A judge on Wednesday blocked enforcement of a recently enacted law’s provision that authorizes indefinite military detention for those deemed to have “substantially supported” al Qaeda, the Taliban or “associated forces.”

District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan ruled in favor of a group of civilian activists and journalists who said they feared being detained under a section of the law, which was signed by President Barack Obama in December 2011.

“In the face of what could be indeterminate military detention, due process requires more,” the judge said.