II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3930 

To authorize trial by military commission for violations of the law of war, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006 

Mr. MCCONNELL (for himself, Mr. FRIST, and Mr. WARNER) introduced the 

following bill; which was read the first time pursuant to the order of September 21, 2006, as modified on September 22, 2006 

A BILL 

To authorize trial by military commission for violations of 

the law of war, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Commissions 

5 Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) The Constitution of the United States 

9 grants to Congress the power ‘‘To define and punish 

10 . . . Offenses against the Law of Nations’’, as well as 


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1 the power ‘‘To declare War . . . To raise and support 

2 Armies . . . [and] To provide and maintain a Navy’’. 

3 (2) The military commission is the traditional 

4 tribunal for the trial of persons engaged in hostilities 

5 for violations of the law of war. 

6 (3) Congress has, in the past, both authorized 

7 the use of military commission by statute and recog8 nized the existence and authority of military com9 missions. 

10 (4) Military commissions have been convened 

11 both by the President and by military commanders 

12 in the field to try offenses against the law of war. 

13 (5) It is in the national interest for Congress to 

14 exercise its authority under the Constitution to enact 

15 legislation authorizing and regulating the use of 

16 military commissions to try and punish violations of 

17 the law of war. 

18 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR MILITARY COMMISSIONS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to es20 tablish military commissions for the trial of alien unlawful 

21 enemy combatants engaged in hostilities against the 

22 United States for violations of the law of war and other 

23 offenses specifically made triable by military commission 

24 as provided in chapter 47 of title 10, United States Code, 


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1 and chapter 47A of title 10, United States Code (as en2 acted by this Act). 

3 (b) CONSTRUCTION.—The authority in subsection (a) 

4 may not be construed to alter or limit the authority of 

5 the President under the Constitution and laws of the 

6 United States to establish military commissions for areas 

7 declared to be under martial law or in occupied territories 

8 should circumstances so require. 

9 (c) SCOPE OF PUNISHMENT AUTHORITY.—A military 

10 commission established pursuant to subsection (a) shall 

11 have authority to impose upon any person found guilty 

12 under a proceeding under chapter 47A of title 10, United 

13 States Code (as so enacted), a sentence that is appropriate 

14 for the offense or offenses for which there is a finding 

15 of guilt, including a sentence of death if authorized under 

16 such chapter, imprisonment for life or a term of years, 

17 payment of a fine or restitution, or such other lawful pun18 ishment or condition of punishment as the military com19 mission shall direct. 

20 (d) EXECUTION OF PUNISHMENT.—The Secretary of 

21 Defense is authorized to carry out a sentence of punish22 ment imposed by a military commission established pursu23 ant to subsection (a) in accordance with such procedures 

24 as the Secretary may prescribe. 


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1 (e) ANNUAL REPORT ON TRIALS BY MILITARY COM2 MISSIONS.— 

3 (1) ANNUAL REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later 

4 than December 31 each year, the Secretary of De5 fense shall submit to the Committees on Armed 

6 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa7 tives a report on any trials conducted by military 

8 commissions established pursuant to subsection (a) 

9 during such year. 

10 (2) FORM.—Each report under this subsection 

11 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in12 clude a classified annex. 

13 SEC. 4. MILITARY COMMISSIONS. 

14 (a) MILITARY COMMISSIONS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of title 10, 

16 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

17 chapter 47 the following new chapter: 

18 ‘‘CHAPTER 47A—MILITARY COMMISSIONS 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER ...................................................................................... Sec.

‘‘I. General Provisions .............................................................................. 948a.

‘‘II. Composition of Military Commissions ............................................... 948h.

‘‘III. Pre-Trial Procedure ......................................................................... 948q.

‘‘IV. Trial Procedure ................................................................................. 949a.

‘‘V. Sentences ............................................................................................ 949s.

‘‘VI. Post-Trial Procedure and Review of Military Commissions ............. 950a.

‘‘VII. Punitive Matters ............................................................................. 950aa. 

19 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘948a. Definitions. 

‘‘948b. Military commissions generally. 


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‘‘948c. Persons subject to military commissions. 

‘‘948d. Jurisdiction of military commissions. 

1 ‘‘§ 948a. Definitions 

2 ‘‘In this chapter: 

3 ‘‘(1) ALIEN.—The term ‘alien’ means an indi4 vidual who is not a citizen of the United States. 

5 ‘‘(2) CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.—The term 

6 ‘classified information’ means the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) Any information or material that has 

8 been determined by the United States Govern9 ment pursuant to statute, Executive order, or 

10 regulation to require protection against unau11 thorized disclosure for reasons of national secu12 rity. 

13 ‘‘(B) Any restricted data, as that term is 

14 defined in section 11 y. of the Atomic Energy 

15 Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2014(y)). 

16 ‘‘(3) LAWFUL ENEMY COMBATANT.—The term 

17 ‘lawful enemy combatant’ means an individual who 

18 is— 

19 ‘‘(A) a member of the regular forces of a 

20 State party engaged in hostilities against the 

21 United States; 

22 ‘‘(B) a member of a militia, volunteer 

23 corps, or organized resistance movement belong24 ing to a State party engaged in such hostilities, 


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1 which are under responsible command, wear a 

2 fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance, 

3 carry their arms openly, and abide by the law 

4 of war; or 

5 ‘‘(C) a member of a regular armed force 

6 who professes allegiance to a government en7 gaged in such hostilities, but not recognized by 

8 the United States. 

9 ‘‘(4) UNLAWFUL ENEMY COMBATANT.—The 

10 term ‘unlawful enemy combatant’ means an indi11 vidual engaged in hostilities against the United 

12 States who is not a lawful enemy combatant. 

13 ‘‘§ 948b. Military commissions generally 

14 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—This chapter establishes procedures 

15 governing the use of military commissions to try alien un16 lawful enemy combatants engaged in hostilities against the 

17 United States for violations of the law of war and other 

18 offenses triable by military commission. 

19 ‘‘(b) CONSTRUCTION OF PROVISIONS.—The proce20 dures for military commissions set forth in this chapter 

21 are based upon the procedures for trial by general courts22 martial under chapter 47 of this title (the Uniform Code 

23 of Military Justice). Chapter 47 of this title does not, by 

24 its terms, apply to trial by military commission except as 

25 specifically provided therein or in this chapter, and many 


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1 of the provisions of chapter 47 of this title are by their 

2 terms inapplicable to military commissions. The judicial 

3 construction and application of chapter 47 of this title is 

4 therefore not binding on military commissions established 

5 under this chapter. 

6 ‘‘(c) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.— 

7 (1) The following provisions of this title shall not apply 

8 to trial by military commission under this chapter: 

9 ‘‘(A) Section 810 (article 10 of the Uniform 

10 Code of Military Justice), relating to speedy trial, 

11 including any rule of courts-martial relating to 

12 speedy trial. 

13 ‘‘(B) Sections 831(a), (b), and (d) (articles 

14 31(a), (b), and (d) of the Uniform Code of Military 

15 Justice), relating to compulsory self-incrimination. 

16 ‘‘(C) Section 832 (article 32 of the Uniform 

17 Code of Military Justice), relating to pretrial inves18 tigation. 

19 ‘‘(2) Other provisions of chapter 47 of this title shall 

20 apply to trial by military commission under this chapter 

21 only to the extent provided by the terms of such provisions 

22 or by this chapter. 

23 ‘‘(d) STATUS OF MILITARY COMMISSIONS UNDER

24 COMMON ARTICLE 3.—A military commission established 

25 under this chapter is a regularly constituted court, affordVerDate Aug 31 2005 01:21 Sep 23, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3930.IS S3930

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1 ing all the necessary ‘judicial guarantees which are recog2 nized as indispensable by civilized peoples’ for purposes 

3 of common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. 

4 ‘‘(e) TREATMENT OF RULINGS AND PRECEDENTS.— 

5 The findings, holdings, interpretations, and other prece6 dents of military commissions under this chapter may not 

7 be introduced or considered in any hearing, trial, or other 

8 proceeding of a court-martial convened under chapter 47 

9 of this title. The findings, holdings, interpretations, and 

10 other precedents of military commissions under this chap11 ter may not form the basis of any holding, decision, or 

12 other determination of a court-martial convened under 

13 that chapter. 

14 ‘‘(f) GENEVA CONVENTIONS NOT ESTABLISHING

15 SOURCE OF RIGHTS.—No alien enemy unlawful combat16 ant subject to trial by military commission under this 

17 chapter may invoke the Geneva Conventions as a source 

18 of rights at his trial by military commission. 

19 ‘‘§ 948c. Persons subject to military commissions 

20 ‘‘Any alien unlawful enemy combatant engaged in 

21 hostilities or having supported hostilities against the 

22 United States is subject to trial by military commission 

23 as set forth in this chapter. 


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1 ‘‘§ 948d. Jurisdiction of military commissions 

2 ‘‘(a) JURISDICTION.—A military commission under 

3 this chapter shall have jurisdiction to try any offense made 

4 punishable by this chapter, sections 904 and 906 of this 

5 title (articles 104 and 106 of the Uniform Code of Military 

6 Justice), or the law of war when committed by an alien 

7 unlawful enemy combatant before, on, or after September 

8 11, 2001. 

9 ‘‘(b) LAWFUL ENEMY COMBATANTS.—Military com10 missions under this chapter shall not have jurisdiction 

11 over lawful enemy combatants. Lawful enemy combatants 

12 who violate the law of war are subject to chapter 47 of 

13 this title. Courts-martial established under that chapter 

14 shall have jurisdiction to try a lawful enemy combatant 

15 for any offense made punishable under this chapter. 

16 ‘‘(c) PUNISHMENTS.—A miliary commission under 

17 this chapter may, under such limitations as the President 

18 may prescribe, adjudge any punishment not forbidden by 

19 this chapter, including the penalty of death when author20 ized under this chapter, chapter 47 of this title, or the 

21 law of war. 

22 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—COMPOSITION OF MILITARY 

23 COMMISSIONS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘948h. Who may convene military commissions. 

‘‘948i. Who may serve on military commissions. 

‘‘948j. Military judge of a military commission. 

‘‘948k. Detail of trial counsel and defense counsel. 


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‘‘948l. Detail or employment of reporters and interpreters. 

‘‘948m. Number of members; excuse of members; absent and additional members. 

1 ‘‘§ 948h. Who may convene military commissions 

2 ‘‘Military commissions under this chapter may be 

3 convened by the Secretary of Defense or by any officer 

4 or official of the United States designated by the Secretary 

5 for that purpose. 

6 ‘‘§ 948i. Who may serve on military commissions 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Any commissioned officer of the 

8 armed forces on active duty is eligible to serve on a mili9 tary commission under this chapter, including commis10 sioned officers of the reserve components of the armed 

11 forces on active duty, commissioned officers of the Na12 tional Guard on active duty in Federal service, or retired 

13 commissioned officers recalled to active duty. 

14 ‘‘(b) DETAIL OF MEMBERS.—When convening a mili15 tary commission under this chapter, the convening author16 ity shall detail as members thereof such members of the 

17 armed forces eligible under subsection (a) who, as in the 

18 opinion of the convening authority, are best qualified for 

19 the duty by reason of age, education, training, experience, 

20 length of service, and judicial temperament. No member 

21 of an armed force is eligible to serve as a member of a 

22 military commission when such member is the accuser or 

23 a witness for the prosecution or has acted as an investi24 gator or counsel in the same case. 


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1 ‘‘(c) EXCUSE OF MEMBERS.—Before a military com2 mission under this chapter is assembled for the trial of 

3 a case, the convening authority may excuse a member 

4 from participating in the case. 

5 ‘‘§ 948j. Military judge of a military commission 

6 ‘‘(a) DETAIL OF MILITARY JUDGE.—A military judge 

7 shall be detailed to each military commission under this 

8 chapter. The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regula9 tions providing for the manner in which military judges 

10 are so detailed to military commissions. The military judge 

11 shall preside over each military commission to which he 

12 has been detailed. 

13 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—A military judge shall be a com14 missioned officer of the armed forces who is a member 

15 of the bar of a Federal court, or a member of the bar 

16 of the highest court of a State, and who is certified to 

17 be qualified for duty under section 826 of this title (article 

18 26 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice) as a military 

19 judge in general courts-martial by the Judge Advocate 

20 General of the armed force of which such military judge 

21 is a member. 

22 ‘‘(c) INELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.—No 

23 person is eligible to act as military judge in a case of a 

24 military commission under this chapter if he is the accuser 


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1 or a witness or has acted as investigator or a counsel in 

2 the same case. 

3 ‘‘(d) CONSULTATION WITH MEMBERS; INELIGI4 BILITY TO VOTE.—A military judge detailed to a military 

5 commission under this chapter may not consult with the 

6 members except in the presence of the accused (except as 

7 otherwise provided in section 949d of this title), trial coun8 sel, and defense counsel, nor may he vote with the mem9 bers. 

10 ‘‘(e) OTHER DUTIES.—A commissioned officer who 

11 is certified to be qualified for duty as a military judge of 

12 a military commission under this chapter may perform 

13 such other duties as are assigned to him by or with the 

14 approval of the Judge Advocate General of the armed 

15 force of which such officer is a member or the designee 

16 of such Judge Advocate General. 

17 ‘‘(f) PROHIBITION ON EVALUATION OF FITNESS BY

18 CONVENING AUTHORITY.—The convening authority of a 

19 military commission under this chapter shall not prepare 

20 or review any report concerning the effectiveness, fitness, 

21 or efficiency of a military judge detailed to the military 

22 commission which relates to his performance of duty as 

23 a military judge on the military commission. 


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1 ‘‘§ 948k. Detail of trial counsel and defense counsel 

2 ‘‘(a) DETAIL OF COUNSEL GENERALLY.—(1) Trial 

3 counsel and military defense counsel shall be detailed for 

4 each military commission under this chapter. 

5 ‘‘(2) Assistant trial counsel and assistant and asso6 ciate defense counsel may be detailed for a military com7 mission under this chapter. 

8 ‘‘(3) Military defense counsel for a military commis9 sion under this chapter shall be detailed as soon as prac10 ticable after the swearing of charges. 

11 ‘‘(4) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regula12 tions providing for the manner in which trial counsel and 

13 military defense counsel are detailed for military commis14 sions under this chapter and for the persons who are au15 thorized to detail such counsel for such military commis16 sions. 

17 ‘‘(b) TRIAL COUNSEL.—Subject to subsection (e), 

18 trial counsel detailed for a military commission under this 

19 chapter must be— 

20 ‘‘(1) a judge advocate (as that term is defined 

21 in section 801 of this title (article 1 of the Uniform 

22 Code of Military Justice)) who is— 

23 ‘‘(A) a graduate of an accredited law 

24 school or is a member of the bar of a Federal 

25 court or of the highest court of a State; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) certified as competent to perform du2 ties as trial counsel before general courts-mar3 tial by the Judge Advocate General of the 

4 armed force of which he is a member; or 

5 ‘‘(2) a civilian who is— 

6 ‘‘(A) a member of the bar of a Federal 

7 court or of the highest court of a State; and 

8 ‘‘(B) otherwise qualified to practice before 

9 the military commission pursuant to regulations 

10 prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. 

11 ‘‘(c) MILITARY DEFENSE COUNSEL.—Subject to sub12 section (e), military defense counsel detailed for a military 

13 commission under this chapter must be a judge advocate 

14 (as so defined) who is— 

15 ‘‘(1) a graduate of an accredited law school or 

16 is a member of the bar of a Federal court or of the 

17 highest court of a State; and 

18 ‘‘(2) certified as competent to perform duties as 

19 defense counsel before general courts-martial by the 

20 Judge Advocate General of the armed force of which 

21 he is a member. 

22 ‘‘(d) CHIEF PROSECUTOR; CHIEF DEFENSE COUN23 SEL.—(1) The Chief Prosecutor in a military commission 

24 under this chapter shall meet the requirements set forth 

25 in subsection (b)(1). 


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1 ‘‘(2) The Chief Defense Counsel in a military com2 mission under this chapter shall meet the requirements set 

3 forth in subsection (c)(1). 

4 ‘‘(e) INELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.—No 

5 person who has acted as an investigator, military judge, 

6 or member of a military commission under this chapter 

7 in any case may act later as trial counsel or military de8 fense counsel in the same case. No person who has acted 

9 for the prosecution before a military commission under 

10 this chapter may act later in the same case for the de11 fense, nor may any person who has acted for the defense 

12 before a military commission under this chapter act later 

13 in the same case for the prosecution. 

14 ‘‘§ 948l. Detail or employment of reporters and inter15 preters 

16 ‘‘(a) COURT REPORTERS.—Under such regulations 

17 as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe, the convening 

18 authority of a military commission under this chapter 

19 shall detail to or employ for the military commission quali20 fied court reporters, who shall prepare a verbatim record 

21 of the proceedings of and testimony taken before the mili22 tary commission. 

23 ‘‘(b) INTERPRETERS.—Under such regulations as the 

24 Secretary of Defense may prescribe, the convening author25 ity of a military commission under this chapter may detail 


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1 to or employ for the military commission interpreters who 

2 shall interpret for the military commission, and, as nec3 essary, for trial counsel and defense counsel for the mili4 tary commission, and for the accused. 

5 ‘‘(c) TRANSCRIPT; RECORD.—The transcript of a 

6 military commission under this chapter shall be under the 

7 control of the convening authority of the military commis8 sion, who shall also be responsible for preparing the record 

9 of the proceedings of the military commission. 

10 ‘‘§ 948m. Number of members; excuse of members; ab11 sent and additional members 

12 ‘‘(a) NUMBER OF MEMBERS.—(1) A military com13 mission under this chapter shall, except as provided in 

14 paragraph (2), have at least five members. 

15 ‘‘(2) In a case in which the accused before a military 

16 commission under this chapter may be sentenced to a pen17 alty of death, the military commission shall have the num18 ber of members prescribed by section 949m(c) of this title. 

19 ‘‘(b) EXCUSE OF MEMBERS.—No member of a mili20 tary commission under this chapter may be absent or ex21 cused after the military commission has been assembled 

22 for the trial of a case unless excused— 

23 ‘‘(1) as a result of challenge; 

24 ‘‘(2) by the military judge for physical disability 

25 or other good cause; or 


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1 ‘‘(3) by order of the convening authority for 

2 good cause. 

3 ‘‘(c) ABSENT AND ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.—When4 ever a military commission under this chapter is reduced 

5 below the number of members required by subsection (a), 

6 the trial may not proceed unless the convening authority 

7 details new members sufficient to provide not less than 

8 such number. The trial may proceed with the new mem9 bers present after the recorded evidence previously intro10 duced before the members has been read to the military 

11 commission in the presence of the military judge, the ac12 cused (except as provided in section 949d of this title), 

13 and counsel for both sides. 

14 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—PRE-TRIAL PROCEDURE 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘948q. Charges and specifications. 

‘‘948r. Compulsory self-incrimination prohibited; statements obtained by torture 

or other methods of coercion. 

‘‘948s. Service of charges. 

15 ‘‘§ 948q. Charges and specifications 

16 ‘‘(a) CHARGES AND SPECIFICATIONS.—Charges and 

17 specifications against an accused in a military commission 

18 under this chapter shall be signed by a person subject to 

19 chapter 47 of this title under oath before a commissioned 

20 officer of the armed forces authorized to administer oaths 

21 and shall state— 


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1 ‘‘(1) that the signer has personal knowledge of, 

2 or reason to believe, the matters set forth therein; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(2) that they are true in fact to the best of his 

5 knowledge and belief. 

6 ‘‘(b) NOTICE TO ACCUSED.—Upon the swearing of 

7 the charges and specifications in accordance with sub8 section (a), the accused shall be informed of the charges 

9 and specifications against him as soon as practicable. 

10 ‘‘§ 948r. Compulsory self-incrimination prohibited; 

11 statements obtained by torture or other 

12 methods of coercion 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—No person shall be required to 

14 testify against himself at a proceeding of a military com15 mission under this chapter. 

16 ‘‘(b) STATEMENTS OBTAINED BY TORTURE.—A 

17 statement obtained by use of torture shall not be admis18 sible in a military commission under this chapter, except 

19 against a person accused of torture as evidence the state20 ment was made. 

21 ‘‘(c) STATEMENTS OBTAINED BEFORE ENACTMENT

22 OF DETAINEE TREATMENT ACT OF 2005.—A statement 

23 obtained before December 30, 2005 (the date of the enact24 ment of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005), in which 


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1 the degree of coercion is disputed may be admitted only 

2 if the military judge finds that— 

3 ‘‘(1) the totality of the circumstances renders it 

4 reliable and possessing sufficient probative value; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(2) the interests of justice would best be 

7 served by admission of the statement into evidence. 

8 ‘‘(d) STATEMENTS OBTAINED AFTER ENACTMENT

9 OF DETAINEE TREATMENT ACT OF 2005.—A statement 

10 obtained on or after December 30, 2005 (the date of the 

11 enactment of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005), in 

12 which the degree of coercion is disputed may be admitted 

13 only if the military judge finds that— 

14 ‘‘(1) the totality of the circumstances renders it 

15 reliable and possessing sufficient probative value; 

16 ‘‘(2) the interests of justice would best be 

17 served by admission of the statement into evidence; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(3) the interrogation methods used to obtain 

20 the statement do not violate the cruel, unusual, or 

21 inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by 

22 the Fifth, Eighth, and 14th Amendments to the 

23 United States Constitution. 


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1 ‘‘§ 948s. Service of charges 

2 ‘‘The trial counsel assigned to a case before a military 

3 commission under this chapter shall cause to be served 

4 upon the accused and military defense counsel a copy of 

5 the charges upon which trial is to be had in English and, 

6 if appropriate, in another language that the accused un7 derstands, sufficiently in advance of trial to prepare a de8 fense. 

9 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER IV—TRIAL PROCEDURE 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘949a. Rules. 

‘‘949b. Unlawfully influencing action of military commission. 

‘‘949c. Duties of trial counsel and defense counsel. 

‘‘949d. Sessions. 

‘‘949e. Continuances. 

‘‘949f. Challenges. 

‘‘949g. Oaths. 

‘‘949h. Former jeopardy. 

‘‘949i. Pleas of the accused. 

‘‘949j. Opportunity to obtain witnesses and other evidence. 

‘‘949k. Defense of lack of mental responsibility. 

‘‘949l. Voting and rulings. 

‘‘949m. Number of votes required. 

‘‘949n. Military commission to announce action. 

‘‘949o. Record of trial. 

10 ‘‘§ 949a. Rules 

11 ‘‘(a) PROCEDURES AND RULES OF EVIDENCE.—Pre12 trial, trial, and post-trial procedures, including elements 

13 and modes of proof, for cases triable by military commis14 sion under this chapter may be prescribed by the Secretary 

15 of Defense. Such procedures may not be contrary to or 

16 inconsistent with this chapter. Except as otherwise pro17 vided in this chapter or chapter 47 of this title, the proce18 dures and rules of evidence applicable in trials by general 


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1 courts-martial of the United States shall apply in trials 

2 by military commission under this chapter. 

3 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTIONS.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, in 

4 consultation with the Attorney General, may make such 

5 exceptions in the applicability in trials by military commis6 sion under this chapter from the procedures and rules of 

7 evidence otherwise applicable in general courts-martial as 

8 may be required by the unique circumstances of the con9 duct of military and intelligence operations during hos10 tilities or by other practical need. 

11 ‘‘(2) Notwithstanding any exceptions authorized by 

12 paragraph (1), the procedures and rules of evidence in 

13 trials by military commission under this chapter shall in14 clude, at a minimum, the following rights: 

15 ‘‘(A) To examine and respond to all evidence 

16 considered by the military commission on the issue 

17 of guilt or innocence and for sentencing. 

18 ‘‘(B) To be present at all sessions of the mili19 tary commission (other than those for deliberations 

20 or voting), except when excluded under section 949d 

21 of this title. 

22 ‘‘(C) To the assistance of counsel. 

23 ‘‘(D) To self-representation, if the accused 

24 knowingly and competently waives the assistance of 

25 counsel, subject to the provisions of paragraph (4). 


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1 ‘‘(E) To the suppression of evidence that is not 

2 reliable or probative. 

3 ‘‘(F) To the suppression of evidence the pro4 bative value of which is substantially outweighed 

5 by— 

6 ‘‘(i) the danger of unfair prejudice, confu7 sion of the issues, or misleading the members; 

8 or 

9 ‘‘(ii) considerations of undue delay, waste 

10 of time, or needless presentation of cumulative 

11 evidence. 

12 ‘‘(3) In making exceptions in the applicability in 

13 trials by military commission under this chapter from the 

14 procedures and rules otherwise applicable in general 

15 courts-martial, the Secretary of Defense may provide the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(A) Evidence seized outside the United States 

18 shall not be excluded from trial by military commis19 sion on the grounds that the evidence was not seized 

20 pursuant to a search warrant or authorization. 

21 ‘‘(B) A statement of the accused that is other22 wise admissible shall not be excluded from trial by 

23 military commission on grounds of alleged coercion 

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1 dence complies with the provisions of section 948r of 

2 this title. 

3 ‘‘(C) Evidence shall be admitted as authentic so 

4 long as— 

5 ‘‘(i) the military judge of the military com6 mission determines that there is sufficient evi7 dence that the evidence is what it is claimed to 

8 be; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) the military judge instructs the mem10 bers that they may consider any issue as to au11 thentication or identification of evidence in de12 termining the weight, if any, to be given to the 

13 evidence. 

14 ‘‘(D)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), hear15 say evidence not otherwise admissible under the 

16 rules of evidence applicable in trial by general 

17 courts-martial may be admitted in a trial by military 

18 commission if the proponent of the evidence makes 

19 known to the adverse party, sufficiently in advance 

20 to provide the adverse party with a fair opportunity 

21 to meet the evidence, the intention of the proponent 

22 to offer the evidence, and the particulars of the evi23 dence (including information on the general cir24 cumstances under which the evidence was obtained). 

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1 ject to the requirements and limitations applicable to 

2 the disclosure of classified information in section 

3 949j(b) of this title. 

4 ‘‘(ii) Hearsay evidence not otherwise admissible 

5 under the rules of evidence applicable in trial by 

6 general courts-martial shall not be admitted in a 

7 trial by military commission if the party opposing 

8 the admission of the evidence demonstrates that the 

9 evidence is unreliable or lacking in probative value. 

10 ‘‘(4)(A) The accused in a military commission under 

11 this chapter who exercises the right to self-representation 

12 under paragraph (2)(D) shall conform his deportment and 

13 the conduct of the defense to the rules of evidence, proce14 dure, and decorum applicable to trials by military commis15 sion. 

16 ‘‘(B) Failure of the accused to conform to the rules 

17 described in subparagraph (A) may result in a partial or 

18 total revocation by the military judge of the right of self19 representation under paragraph (2)(D). In such case, the 

20 detailed defense counsel of the accused or an appropriately 

21 authorized civilian counsel shall perform the functions nec22 essary for the defense. 

23 ‘‘(c) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO PRESCRIBE

24 REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense may delegate 


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1 the authority of the Secretary to prescribe regulations 

2 under this chapter. 

3 ‘‘§ 949b. Unlawfully influencing action of military 

4 commission 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) No authority convening a 

6 military commission under this chapter may censure, rep7 rimand, or admonish the military commission, or any 

8 member, military judge, or counsel thereof, with respect 

9 to the findings or sentence adjudged by the military com10 mission, or with respect to any other exercises of its or 

11 their functions in the conduct of the proceedings. 

12 ‘‘(2) No person may attempt to coerce or, by any un13 authorized means, influence— 

14 ‘‘(A) the action of a military commission under 

15 this chapter, or any member thereof, in reaching the 

16 findings or sentence in any case; 

17 ‘‘(B) the action of any convening, approving, or 

18 reviewing authority with respect to their judicial 

19 acts; or 

20 ‘‘(C) the exercise of professional judgment by 

21 trial counsel or defense counsel. 

22 ‘‘(3) The provisions of this subsection shall not apply 

23 with respect to— 

24 ‘‘(A) general instructional or informational 

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1 signed solely for the purpose of instructing members 

2 of a command in the substantive and procedural as3 pects of military commissions; or 

4 ‘‘(B) statements and instructions given in open 

5 proceedings by a military judge or counsel. 

6 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION ON CONSIDERATION OF ACTIONS

7 ON COMMISSION IN EVALUATION OF FITNESS.—In the 

8 preparation of an effectiveness, fitness, or efficiency report 

9 or any other report or document used in whole or in part 

10 for the purpose of determining whether a commissioned 

11 officer of the armed forces is qualified to be advanced in 

12 grade, or in determining the assignment or transfer of any 

13 such officer or whether any such officer should be retained 

14 on active duty, no person may— 

15 ‘‘(1) consider or evaluate the performance of 

16 duty of any member of a military commission under 

17 this chapter; or 

18 ‘‘(2) give a less favorable rating or evaluation 

19 to any commissioned officer because of the zeal with 

20 which such officer, in acting as counsel, represented 

21 any accused before a military commission under this 

22 chapter. 


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1 ‘‘§ 949c. Duties of trial counsel and defense counsel 

2 ‘‘(a) TRIAL COUNSEL.—The trial counsel of a mili3 tary commission under this chapter shall prosecute in the 

4 name of the United States. 

5 ‘‘(b) DEFENSE COUNSEL.—(1) The accused shall be 

6 represented in his defense before a military commission 

7 under this chapter as provided in this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(2) The accused shall be represented by military 

9 counsel detailed under section 948k of this title. 

10 ‘‘(3) The accused may be represented by civilian 

11 counsel if retained by the accused, provided that such civil12 ian counsel— 

13 ‘‘(A) is a United States citizen; 

14 ‘‘(B) is admitted to the practice of law in a 

15 State, district, or possession of the United States, or 

16 before a Federal court; 

17 ‘‘(C) has not been the subject of any sanction 

18 of disciplinary action by any court, bar, or other 

19 competent governmental authority for relevant mis20 conduct; 

21 ‘‘(D) has been determined to be eligible for ac22 cess to information classified at the level Secret or 

23 higher; and 

24 ‘‘(E) has signed a written agreement to comply 

25 with all applicable regulations or instructions for 


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1 counsel, including any rules of court for conduct 

2 during the proceedings. 

3 ‘‘(4) If the accused is represented by civilian counsel, 

4 military counsel detailed shall act as associate counsel. 

5 ‘‘(5) The accused is not entitled to be represented by 

6 more than one military counsel. However, the person au7 thorized under regulations prescribed under section 948k 

8 of this title to detail counsel, in such person’s sole discre9 tion, may detail additional military counsel to represent 

10 the accused. 

11 ‘‘(6) Defense counsel may cross-examine each witness 

12 for the prosecution who testifies before a military commis13 sion under this chapter. 

14 ‘‘§ 949d. Sessions 

15 ‘‘(a) SESSIONS WITHOUT PRESENCE OF MEM16 BERS.—(1) At any time after the service of charges which 

17 have been referred for trial by military commission under 

18 this chapter, the military judge may call the military com19 mission into session without the presence of the members 

20 for the purpose of— 

21 ‘‘(A) hearing and determining motions raising 

22 defenses or objections which are capable of deter23 mination without trial of the issues raised by a plea 

24 of not guilty; 


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1 ‘‘(B) hearing and ruling upon any matter which 

2 may be ruled upon by the military judge under this 

3 chapter, whether or not the matter is appropriate for 

4 later consideration or decision by the members; 

5 ‘‘(C) if permitted by regulations prescribed by 

6 the Secretary of Defense, receiving the pleas of the 

7 accused; and 

8 ‘‘(D) performing any other procedural function 

9 which may be performed by the military judge under 

10 this chapter or under rules prescribed pursuant to 

11 section 949a of this title and which does not require 

12 the presence of the members. 

13 ‘‘(2) Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), and 

14 (d), any proceedings under paragraph (1) shall be con15 ducted in the presence of the accused, defense counsel, and 

16 trial counsel, and shall be made part of the record. 

17 ‘‘(b) DELIBERATION OR VOTE OF MEMBERS.—When 

18 the members of a military commission under this chapter 

19 deliberate or vote, only the members may be present. 

20 ‘‘(c) CLOSURE OF PROCEEDINGS.—(1) The military 

21 judge may close to the public all or part of the proceedings 

22 of a military commission under this chapter. 

23 ‘‘(2) The military judge may close to the public all 

24 or a portion of the proceedings under paragraph (1) only 


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1 upon making a specific finding that such closure is nec2 essary to— 

3 ‘‘(A) protect information the disclosure of which 

4 could reasonably be expected to cause damage to the 

5 national security, including intelligence or law en6 forcement sources, methods, or activities; or 

7 ‘‘(B) ensure the physical safety of individuals. 

8 ‘‘(3) A finding under paragraph (2) may be based 

9 upon a presentation, including a presentation ex parte or 

10 in camera, by either trial counsel or defense counsel. 

11 ‘‘(d) EXCLUSION OF ACCUSED FROM CERTAIN PRO12 CEEDINGS.—The military judge may exclude the accused 

13 from any portion of a proceeding upon a determination 

14 that, after being warned by the military judge, the accused 

15 persists in conduct that justifies exclusion from the court16 room— 

17 ‘‘(1) to ensure the physical safety of individuals; 

18 or 

19 ‘‘(2) to prevent disruption of the proceedings by 

20 the accused. 

21 ‘‘(e) PROTECTION OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.— 

22 ‘‘(1) NATIONAL SECURITY PRIVILEGE.—(A) 

23 Classified information shall be protected and is privi24 leged from disclosure if disclosure would be detri25 mental to the national security. This rule applies to 


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1 all stages of the proceedings of military commissions 

2 under this chapter. 

3 ‘‘(B) The privilege referred to in subparagraph 

4 (A) may be claimed by the head of the executive or 

5 military department or government agency con6 cerned based on a finding by the head of that de7 partment or agency that— 

8 ‘‘(i) the information is properly classified; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(ii) disclosure would be detrimental to the 

11 national security. 

12 ‘‘(C) A person who may claim the privilege re13 ferred to in subparagraph (A) may authorize a rep14 resentative, witness, or trial counsel to claim the 

15 privilege and make the finding described in subpara16 graph (B) on behalf of such person. The authority 

17 of the representative, witness, or trial counsel to do 

18 so is presumed in the absence of evidence to the con19 trary. 

20 ‘‘(2) INTRODUCTION OF CLASSIFIED INFORMA21 TION.— 

22 ‘‘(A) ALTERNATIVES TO DISCLOSURE.—To 

23 protect classified information from disclosure, 

24 the military judge, upon motion of trial counsel, 

25 shall authorize, to the extent practicable— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the deletion of specified items of 

2 classified information from documents to 

3 be introduced as evidence before the mili4 tary commission; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the substitution of a portion or 

6 summary of the information for such clas7 sified documents; or 

8 ‘‘(iii) the substitution of a statement 

9 of relevant facts that the classified infor10 mation would tend to prove. 

11 ‘‘(B) PROTECTION OF SOURCES, METHODS, 

12 OR ACTIVITIES.—The military judge, upon mo13 tion of trial counsel, shall permit trial counsel 

14 to introduce otherwise admissible evidence be15 fore the military commission, while protecting 

16 from disclosure the sources, methods, or activi17 ties by which the United States acquired the 

18 evidence if the military judge finds that (i) the 

19 sources, methods, or activities by which the 

20 United States acquired the evidence are classi21 fied, and (ii) the evidence is reliable. The mili22 tary judge may require trial counsel to present 

23 to the military commission and the defense, to 

24 the extent practicable and consistent with na25 tional security, an unclassified summary of the 


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1 sources, methods, or activities by which the 

2 United States acquired the evidence. 

3 ‘‘(C) ASSERTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY

4 PRIVILEGE AT TRIAL.—During the examination 

5 of any witness, trial counsel may object to any 

6 question, line of inquiry, or motion to admit evi7 dence that would require the disclosure of clas8 sified information. Following such an objection, 

9 the military judge shall take suitable action to 

10 safeguard such classified information. Such ac11 tion may include the review of trial counsel’s 

12 claim of privilege by the military judge in cam13 era and on an ex parte basis, and the delay of 

14 proceedings to permit trial counsel to consult 

15 with the department or agency concerned as to 

16 whether the national security privilege should 

17 be asserted. 

18 ‘‘(3) CONSIDERATION OF PRIVILEGE AND RE19 LATED MATERIALS.—A claim of privilege under this 

20 subsection, and any materials submitted in support 

21 thereof, shall, upon request of the Government, be 

22 considered by the military judge in camera and shall 

23 not be disclosed to the accused. 

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1 tions, consistent with this subsection, for the use 

2 and protection of classified information during pro3 ceedings of military commissions under this chapter. 

4 A report on any regulations so prescribed, or modi5 fied, shall be submitted to the Committees on Armed 

6 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa7 tives not later than 60 days before the date on which 

8 such regulations or modifications, as the case may 

9 be, go into effect. 

10 ‘‘§ 949e. Continuances 

11 ‘‘The military judge in a military commission under 

12 this chapter may, for reasonable cause, grant a continu13 ance to any party for such time, and as often, as may 

14 appear to be just. 

15 ‘‘§ 949f. Challenges 

16 ‘‘(a) CHALLENGES AUTHORIZED.—The military 

17 judge and members of a military commission under this 

18 chapter may be challenged by the accused or trial counsel 

19 for cause stated to the military commission. The military 

20 judge shall determine the relevance and validity of chal21 lenges for cause, and may not receive a challenge to more 

22 than one person at a time. Challenges by trial counsel 

23 shall ordinarily be presented and decided before those by 

24 the accused are offered. 


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1 ‘‘(b) PEREMPTORY CHALLENGES.—The accused and 

2 trial counsel are each entitled to one peremptory challenge, 

3 but the military judge may not be challenged except for 

4 cause. 

5 ‘‘(c) CHALLENGES AGAINST ADDITIONAL MEM6 BERS.—Whenever additional members are detailed to a 

7 military commission under this chapter, and after any 

8 challenges for cause against such additional members are 

9 presented and decided, the accused and trial counsel are 

10 each entitled to one peremptory challenge against mem11 bers not previously subject to peremptory challenge. 

12 ‘‘§ 949g. Oaths 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Before performing their re14 spective duties in a military commission under this chap15 ter, military judges, members, trial counsel, defense coun16 sel, reporters, and interpreters shall take an oath to per17 form their duties faithfully. 

18 ‘‘(2) The form of the oath required by paragraph (1), 

19 the time and place of the taking thereof, the manner of 

20 recording thereof, and whether the oath shall be taken for 

21 all cases in which duties are to be performed or for a par22 ticular case, shall be as provided in regulations prescribed 

23 by the Secretary of Defense. The regulations may provide 

24 that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) an oath to perform faithfully duties as a 

2 military judge, trial counsel, or defense counsel may 

3 be taken at any time by any judge advocate or other 

4 person certified to be qualified or competent for the 

5 duty; and 

6 ‘‘(B) if such an oath is taken, such oath need 

7 not again be taken at the time the judge advocate 

8 or other person is detailed to that duty. 

9 ‘‘(b) WITNESSES.—Each witness before a military 

10 commission under this chapter shall be examined on oath. 

11 ‘‘(c) OATH DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

12 ‘oath’ includes an affirmation. 

13 ‘‘§ 949h. Former jeopardy 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—No person may, without his con15 sent, be tried by a military commission under this chapter 

16 a second time for the same offense. 

17 ‘‘(b) SCOPE OF TRIAL.—No proceeding in which the 

18 accused has been found guilty by military commission 

19 under this chapter upon any charge or specification is a 

20 trial in the sense of this section until the finding of guilty 

21 has become final after review of the case has been fully 

22 completed. 

23 ‘‘§ 949i. Pleas of the accused 

24 ‘‘(a) PLEA OF NOT GUILTY.—If an accused in a mili25 tary commission under this chapter after a plea of guilty 


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1 sets up matter inconsistent with the plea, or if it appears 

2 that the accused has entered the plea of guilty through 

3 lack of understanding of its meaning and effect, or if the 

4 accused fails or refuses to plead, a plea of not guilty shall 

5 be entered in the record, and the military commission shall 

6 proceed as though the accused had pleaded not guilty. 

7 ‘‘(b) FINDING OF GUILT AFTER GUILTY PLEA.— 

8 With respect to any charge or specification to which a plea 

9 of guilty has been made by the accused in a military com10 mission under this chapter and accepted by the military 

11 judge, a finding of guilty of the charge or specification 

12 may be entered immediately without a vote. The finding 

13 shall constitute the finding of the military commission un14 less the plea of guilty is withdrawn prior to announcement 

15 of the sentence, in which event the proceedings shall con16 tinue as though the accused had pleaded not guilty. 

17 ‘‘§ 949j. Opportunity to obtain witnesses and other 

18 evidence 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Defense counsel in a military 

20 commission under this chapter shall have a reasonable op21 portunity to obtain witnesses and other evidence as pro22 vided in regulations prescribed by the Secretary of De23 fense. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Process issued in military commissions under 

2 this chapter to compel witnesses to appear and testify and 

3 to compel the production of other evidence— 

4 ‘‘(A) shall be similar to that which courts of the 

5 United States having criminal jurisdiction may law6 fully issue; and 

7 ‘‘(B) shall run to any place where the United 

8 States shall have jurisdiction thereof. 

9 ‘‘(b) PROTECTION OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.— 

10 (1) With respect to the discovery obligations of trial coun11 sel under this section, the military judge, upon motion of 

12 trial counsel, shall authorize, to the extent practicable— 

13 ‘‘(A) the deletion of specified items of classified 

14 information from documents to be made available to 

15 the accused; 

16 ‘‘(B) the substitution of a portion or summary 

17 of the information for such classified documents; or 

18 ‘‘(C) the substitution of a statement admitting 

19 relevant facts that the classified information would 

20 tend prove. 

21 ‘‘(2) The military judge, upon motion of trial counsel, 

22 shall authorize trial counsel, in the course of complying 

23 with discovery obligations under this section, to protect 

24 from disclosure the sources, methods, or activities by 

25 which the United States acquired evidence if the military 


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1 judge finds that the sources, methods, or activities by 

2 which the United States acquired such evidence are classi3 fied. The military judge may require trial counsel to pro4 vide, to the extent practicable, an unclassified summary 

5 of the sources, methods, or activities by which the United 

6 States acquired such evidence. 

7 ‘‘(c) EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE.—(1) As soon as 

8 practicable, trial counsel shall disclose to the defense the 

9 existence of any evidence known to trial counsel that rea10 sonably tends to exculpate the accused. Where exculpatory 

11 evidence is classified, the accused shall be provided with 

12 an adequate substitute in accordance with the procedures 

13 under subsection (b). 

14 ‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘evidence known to 

15 trial counsel’, in the case of exculpatory evidence, means 

16 exculpatory evidence that the prosecution would be re17 quired to disclose in a trial by courts-martial under chap18 ter 47 of this title. 

19 ‘‘§ 949k. Defense of lack of mental responsibility 

20 ‘‘(a) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.—It is an affirmative 

21 defense in a trial by military commission under this chap22 ter that, at the time of the commission of the acts consti23 tuting the offense, the accused, as a result of a severe 

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1 ture and quality or the wrongfulness of the acts. Mental 

2 disease or defect does not otherwise constitute a defense. 

3 ‘‘(b) BURDEN OF PROOF.—The accused in a military 

4 commission under this chapter has the burden of proving 

5 the defense of lack of mental responsibility by clear and 

6 convincing evidence. 

7 ‘‘(c) FINDINGS FOLLOWING ASSERTION OF DE8 FENSE.—Whenever lack of mental responsibility of the ac9 cused with respect to an offense is properly at issue in 

10 a military commission under this chapter, the military 

11 judge shall instruct the members as to the defense of lack 

12 of mental responsibility under this section and shall 

13 charge the members to find the accused— 

14 ‘‘(1) guilty; 

15 ‘‘(2) not guilty; or 

16 ‘‘(3) subject to subsection (d), not guilty by rea17 son of lack of mental responsibility. 

18 ‘‘(d) MAJORITY VOTE REQUIRED FOR FINDING.— 

19 The accused shall be found not guilty by reason of lack 

20 of mental responsibility under subsection (c)(3) only if a 

21 majority of the members present at the time the vote is 

22 taken determines that the defense of lack of mental re23 sponsibility has been established. 


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1 ‘‘§ 949l. Voting and rulings 

2 ‘‘(a) VOTE BY SECRET WRITTEN BALLOT.—Voting 

3 by members of a military commission under this chapter 

4 on the findings and on the sentence shall be by secret writ5 ten ballot. 

6 ‘‘(b) RULINGS.—(1) The military judge in a military 

7 commission under this chapter shall rule upon all ques8 tions of law, including the admissibility of evidence and 

9 all interlocutory questions arising during the proceedings. 

10 ‘‘(2) Any ruling made by the military judge upon a 

11 question of law or an interlocutory question (other than 

12 the factual issue of mental responsibility of the accused) 

13 is conclusive and constitutes the ruling of the military 

14 commission. However, a military judge may change his 

15 ruling at any time during the trial. 

16 ‘‘(c) INSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO VOTE.—Before a vote 

17 is taken of the findings of a military commission under 

18 this chapter, the military judge shall, in the presence of 

19 the accused and counsel, instruct the members as to the 

20 elements of the offense and charge the members— 

21 ‘‘(1) that the accused must be presumed to be 

22 innocent until his guilt is established by legal and 

23 competent evidence beyond a reasonable doubt; 

24 ‘‘(2) that in the case being considered, if there 

25 is a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the accused, 


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1 the doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused 

2 and he must be acquitted; 

3 ‘‘(3) that, if there is reasonable doubt as to the 

4 degree of guilt, the finding must be in a lower de5 gree as to which there is no reasonable doubt; and 

6 ‘‘(4) that the burden of proof to establish the 

7 guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt is 

8 upon the United States. 

9 ‘‘§ 949m. Number of votes required 

10 ‘‘(a) CONVICTION.—No person may be convicted by 

11 a military commission under this chapter of any offense, 

12 except as provided in section 949i(b) of this title or by 

13 concurrence of two-thirds of the members present at the 

14 time the vote is taken. 

15 ‘‘(b) SENTENCES.—(1) Except as provided in para16 graphs (2) and (3), sentences shall be determined by a 

17 military commission by the concurrence of two-thirds of 

18 the members present at the time the vote is taken. 

19 ‘‘(2) No person may be sentenced to death by a mili20 tary commission, except insofar as— 

21 ‘‘(A) the penalty of death has been expressly 

22 authorized under this chapter, chapter 47 of this 

23 title, or the law of war for an offense of which the 

24 accused has been found guilty; 


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1 ‘‘(B) trial counsel expressly sought the penalty 

2 of death by filing an appropriate notice in advance 

3 of trial; 

4 ‘‘(C) the accused was convicted of the offense 

5 by the concurrence of all the members present at the 

6 time the vote is taken; and 

7 ‘‘(D) all members present at the time the vote 

8 was taken concurred in the sentence of death. 

9 ‘‘(3) No person may be sentenced to life imprison10 ment, or to confinement for more than 10 years, by a mili11 tary commission under this chapter except by the concur12 rence of three-fourths of the members present at the time 

13 the vote is taken. 

14 ‘‘(c) NUMBER OF MEMBERS REQUIRED FOR PEN15 ALTY OF DEATH.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph 

16 (2), in a case in which the penalty of death is sought, the 

17 number of members of the military commission under this 

18 chapter shall be not less than 12 members. 

19 ‘‘(2) In any case described in paragraph (1) in which 

20 12 members are not reasonably available for a military 

21 commission because of physical conditions or military ex22 igencies, the convening authority shall specify a lesser 

23 number of members for the military commission (but not 

24 fewer than 5 members), and the military commission may 

25 be assembled, and the trial held, with not less than the 


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1 number of members so specified. In any such case, the 

2 convening authority shall make a detailed written state3 ment, to be appended to the record, stating why a greater 

4 number of members were not reasonably available. 

5 ‘‘§ 949n. Military commission to announce action 

6 ‘‘A military commission under this chapter shall an7 nounce its findings and sentence to the parties as soon 

8 as determined. 

9 ‘‘§ 949o. Record of trial 

10 ‘‘(a) RECORD; AUTHENTICATION.—Each military 

11 commission under this chapter shall keep a separate, ver12 batim, record of the proceedings in each case brought be13 fore it, and the record shall be authenticated by the signa14 ture of the military judge. If the record cannot be authen15 ticated by the military judge by reason of his death, dis16 ability, or absence, it shall be authenticated by the signa17 ture of the trial counsel or by a member if the trial counsel 

18 is unable to authenticate it by reason of his death, dis19 ability, or absence. Where appropriate, and as provided 

20 in regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, the 

21 record of a military commission under this chapter may 

22 contain a classified annex. 

23 ‘‘(b) COMPLETE RECORD REQUIRED.—A complete 

24 record of the proceedings and testimony shall be prepared 

25 in every military commission under this chapter. 


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1 ‘‘(c) PROVISION OF COPY TO ACCUSED.—A copy of 

2 the record of the proceedings of the military commission 

3 under this chapter shall be given the accused as soon as 

4 it is authenticated. If the record contains classified infor5 mation, or a classified annex, the accused shall receive a 

6 redacted version of the record consistent with the require7 ments of section 949d(e) of this title. Defense counsel 

8 shall have access to the unredacted record, as provided 

9 in regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. 

10 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER V—SENTENCES 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘949s. Cruel or unusual punishments prohibited. 

‘‘949t. Maximum limits. 

‘‘949u. Execution of confinement. 

11 ‘‘§ 949s. Cruel or unusual punishments prohibited 

12 ‘‘Punishment by flogging, or by branding, marking, 

13 or tattooing on the body, or any other cruel or unusual 

14 punishment, may not be adjudged by a military commis15 sion under this chapter or inflicted under this chapter 

16 upon any person subject to this chapter. The use of irons, 

17 single or double, except for the purpose of safe custody, 

18 is prohibited under this chapter. 

19 ‘‘§ 949t. Maximum limits 

20 ‘‘The punishment which a military commission under 

21 this chapter may direct for an offense may not exceed such 

22 limits as the President or Secretary of Defense may pre23 scribe for that offense. 


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1 ‘‘§ 949u. Execution of confinement 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Under such regulations as the 

3 Secretary of Defense may prescribe, a sentence of confine4 ment adjudged by a military commission under this chap5 ter may be carried into execution by confinement— 

6 ‘‘(1) in any place of confinement under the con7 trol of any of the armed forces; or 

8 ‘‘(2) in any penal or correctional institution 

9 under the control of the United States or its allies, 

10 or which the United States may be allowed to use. 

11 ‘‘(b) TREATMENT DURING CONFINEMENT BY OTHER

12 THAN THE ARMED FORCES.—Persons confined under 

13 subsection (a)(2) in a penal or correctional institution not 

14 under the control of an armed force are subject to the 

15 same discipline and treatment as persons confined or com16 mitted by the courts of the United States or of the State, 

17 District of Columbia, or place in which the institution is 

18 situated. 

19 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER VI—POST-TRIAL PROCEDURE 

20 AND REVIEW OF MILITARY COMMISSIONS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘950a. Error of law; lesser included offense. 

‘‘950b. Review by the convening authority. 

‘‘950c. Waiver or withdrawal of appeal. 

‘‘950d. Appeal by the United States. 

‘‘950e. Rehearings. 

‘‘950f. Review by Court of Military Commission Review. 

‘‘950g. Review by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the Supreme Court. 

‘‘950h. Appellate counsel 


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‘‘950i. Execution of sentence; suspension of sentence. 

‘‘950j. Finality of proceedings, findings, and sentences. 

1 ‘‘§ 950a. Error of law; lesser included offense 

2 ‘‘(a) ERROR OF LAW.—A finding or sentence of a 

3 military commission under this chapter may not be held 

4 incorrect on the ground of an error of law unless the error 

5 materially prejudices the substantial rights of the accused. 

6 ‘‘(b) LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSE.—Any reviewing 

7 authority with the power to approve or affirm a finding 

8 of guilty by a military commission under this chapter may 

9 approve or affirm, instead, so much of the finding as in10 cludes a lesser included offense. 

11 ‘‘§ 950b. Review by the convening authority 

12 ‘‘(a) NOTICE TO CONVENING AUTHORITY OF FIND13 INGS AND SENTENCE.—The findings and sentence of a 

14 military commission under this chapter shall be reported 

15 in writing promptly to the convening authority after the 

16 announcement of the sentence. 

17 ‘‘(b) SUBMITTAL OF MATTERS BY ACCUSED TO CON18 VENING AUTHORITY.—(1) The accused may submit to the 

19 convening authority matters for consideration by the con20 vening authority with respect to the findings and the sen21 tence of the military commission under this chapter. 

22 ‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a 

23 submittal under paragraph (1) shall be made in writing 


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1 within 20 days after accused has been give an authenti2 cated record of trial under section 949o(c) of this title. 

3 ‘‘(B) If the accused shows that additional time is re4 quired for the accused to make a submittal under para5 graph (1), the convening authority may, for good cause, 

6 extend the applicable period under subparagraph (A) for 

7 not more than an additional 20 days. 

8 ‘‘(3) The accused may waive his right to make a sub9 mittal to the convening authority under paragraph (1). 

10 Such a waiver shall be made in writing, and may not be 

11 revoked. For the purposes of subsection (c)(2), the time 

12 within which the accused may make a submittal under this 

13 subsection shall be deemed to have expired upon the sub14 mittal of a waiver under this paragraph to the convening 

15 authority. 

16 ‘‘(c) ACTION BY CONVENING AUTHORITY.—(1) The 

17 authority under this subsection to modify the findings and 

18 sentence of a military commission under this chapter is 

19 a matter of the sole discretion and prerogative of the con20 vening authority. 

21 ‘‘(2) The convening authority is not required to take 

22 action on the findings of a military commission under this 

23 chapter. If the convening authority takes action on the 

24 findings, the convening authority may, in his sole discre25 tion, only— 


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1 ‘‘(A) dismiss any charge or specification by set2 ting aside a finding of guilty thereto; or 

3 ‘‘(B) change a finding of guilty to a charge to 

4 a finding of guilty to an offense that is a lesser in5 cluded offense of the offense stated in the charge. 

6 ‘‘(3)(A) The convening authority shall take action on 

7 the sentence of a military commission under this chapter. 

8 ‘‘(B) Subject to regulations prescribed by the Sec9 retary of Defense, action under this paragraph may be 

10 taken only after consideration of any matters submitted 

11 by the accused under subsection (b) or after the time for 

12 submitting such matters expires, whichever is earlier. 

13 ‘‘(C) In taking action under this paragraph, the con14 vening authority may, in his sole discretion, approve, dis15 approve, commute, or suspend the sentence in whole or 

16 in part. The convening authority may not increase a sen17 tence beyond that which is found by the military commis18 sion. 

19 ‘‘(4) The convening authority shall serve on the ac20 cused or on defense counsel notice of any action taken by 

21 the convening authority under this subsection. 

22 ‘‘(d) ORDER OF REVISION OR REHEARING.—(1) Sub23 ject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the convening authority 

24 of a military commission under this chapter may, in his 


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1 sole discretion, order a proceeding in revision or a rehear2 ing. 

3 ‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a 

4 proceeding in revision may be ordered by the convening 

5 authority if— 

6 ‘‘(i) there is an apparent error or omission in 

7 the record; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) the record shows improper or inconsistent 

9 action by the military commission with respect to 

10 the findings or sentence that can be rectified without 

11 material prejudice to the substantial rights of the 

12 accused. 

13 ‘‘(B) In no case may a proceeding in revision— 

14 ‘‘(i) reconsider a finding of not guilty of a spec15 ification or a ruling which amounts to a finding of 

16 not guilty; 

17 ‘‘(ii) reconsider a finding of not guilty of any 

18 charge, unless there has been a finding of guilty 

19 under a specification laid under that charge, which 

20 sufficiently alleges a violation; or 

21 ‘‘(iii) increase the severity of the sentence un22 less the sentence prescribed for the offense is man23 datory. 

24 ‘‘(3) A rehearing may be ordered by the convening 

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1 ings and sentence and states the reasons for disapproval 

2 of the findings. If the convening authority disapproves the 

3 finding and sentence and does not order a rehearing, the 

4 convening authority shall dismiss the charges. A rehearing 

5 as to the findings may not be ordered by the convening 

6 authority when there is a lack of sufficient evidence in the 

7 record to support the findings. A rehearing as to the sen8 tence may be ordered by the convening authority if the 

9 convening authority disapproves the sentence. 

10 ‘‘§ 950c. Waiver or withdrawal of appeal 

11 ‘‘(a) WAIVER OF RIGHT OF REVIEW.—(1) An ac12 cused may file with the convening authority a statement 

13 expressly waiving the right of the accused to appellate re14 view by the Court of Military Commission Review under 

15 section 950f of this title of the final decision of the mili16 tary commission under this chapter. 

17 ‘‘(2) A waiver under paragraph (1) shall be signed 

18 by both the accused and a defense counsel. 

19 ‘‘(3) A waiver under paragraph (1) must be filed, if 

20 at all, within 10 days after notice of the action is served 

21 on the accused or on defense counsel under section 

22 950b(c)(4) of this title. The convening authority, for good 

23 cause, may extend the period for such filing by not more 

24 than 30 days. 


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1 ‘‘(b) WITHDRAWAL OF APPEAL.—Except in a case in 

2 which the sentence as approved under section 950b of this 

3 title extends to death, the accused may withdraw an ap4 peal at any time. 

5 ‘‘(c) EFFECT OF WAIVER OR WITHDRAWAL.—A 

6 waiver of the right to appellate review or the withdrawal 

7 of an appeal under this section bars review under section 

8 950f of this title. 

9 ‘‘§ 950d. Appeal by the United States 

10 ‘‘(a) INTERLOCUTORY APPEAL.—(1) Except as pro11 vided in paragraph (2), in a trial by military commission 

12 under this chapter, the United States may take an inter13 locutory appeal to the Court of Military Commission Re14 view under section 950f of this title of any order or ruling 

15 of the military judge that— 

16 ‘‘(A) terminates proceedings of the military 

17 commission with respect to a charge or specification; 

18 ‘‘(B) excludes evidence that is substantial proof 

19 of a fact material in the proceeding; or 

20 ‘‘(C) relates to a matter under subsection (c), 

21 (d), or (e) of section 949d of this title. 

22 ‘‘(2) The United States may not appeal under para23 graph (1) an order or ruling that is, or amounts to, a find24 ing of not guilty by the military commission with respect 

25 to a charge or specification. 


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1 ‘‘(b) NOTICE OF APPEAL.—The United States shall 

2 take an appeal of an order or ruling under subsection (a) 

3 by filing a notice of appeal with the military judge within 

4 five days after the date of the order or ruling. 

5 ‘‘(c) APPEAL.—An appeal under this section shall be 

6 forwarded, by means specified in regulations prescribed 

7 the Secretary of Defense, directly to the Court of Military 

8 Commission Review. In ruling on an appeal under this sec9 tion, the Court may act only with respect to matters of 

10 law. 

11 ‘‘§ 950e. Rehearings 

12 ‘‘(a) COMPOSITION OF MILITARY COMMISSION FOR

13 REHEARING.—Each rehearing under this chapter shall 

14 take place before a military commission under this chapter 

15 composed of members who were not members of the mili16 tary commission which first heard the case. 

17 ‘‘(b) SCOPE OF REHEARING.—(1) Upon a rehear18 ing— 

19 ‘‘(A) the accused may not be tried for any of20 fense of which he was found not guilty by the first 

21 military commission; and 

22 ‘‘(B) no sentence in excess of or more than the 

23 original sentence may be imposed unless— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the sentence is based upon a finding 

2 of guilty of an offense not considered upon the 

3 merits in the original proceedings; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) the sentence prescribed for the of5 fense is mandatory. 

6 ‘‘(2) Upon a rehearing, if the sentence approved after 

7 the first military commission was in accordance with a 

8 pretrial agreement and the accused at the rehearing 

9 changes his plea with respect to the charges or specifica10 tions upon which the pretrial agreement was based, or oth11 erwise does not comply with pretrial agreement, the sen12 tence as to those charges or specifications may include any 

13 punishment not in excess of that lawfully adjudged at the 

14 first military commission. 

15 ‘‘§ 950f. Review by Court of Military Commission Re16 view 

17 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 

18 shall establish a Court of Military Commission Review 

19 which shall be composed of one or more panels, and each 

20 such panel shall be composed of not less than three appel21 late military judges. For the purpose of reviewing military 

22 commission decisions under this chapter, the Court may 

23 sit in panels or as a whole in accordance with rules pre24 scribed by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(b) APPELLATE MILITARY JUDGES.—The Secretary 

2 shall assign appellate military judges to a Court of Mili3 tary Commission Review. Each appellate military judge 

4 shall meet the qualifications for military judges prescribed 

5 by section 948j(b) of this title or shall be a civilian with 

6 comparable qualifications. No person may serve as an ap7 pellate military judge in any case in which that person 

8 acted as a military judge, counsel, or reviewing official. 

9 ‘‘(c) RIGHT OF APPEAL.—The accused may appeal 

10 from a final decision of a military commission, and the 

11 United States may appeal as provided in section 950d of 

12 this title, to the Court of Military Commission Review in 

13 accordance with procedures prescribed under regulations 

14 of the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(d) SCOPE OF REVIEW.—In a case reviewed by the 

16 Court of Military Commission Review under this section, 

17 the Court may act only with respect to matters of law. 

18 ‘‘§ 950g. Review by the United States Court of Ap19 peals for the District of Columbia Circuit 

20 and the Supreme Court 

21 ‘‘(a) REVIEW BY UNITED STATES COURT OF AP22 PEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT.—(1) 

23 Subject to the provisions of this subsection, the United 

24 States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Cir25 cuit shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine the final 


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1 validity of any judgment rendered by a military commis2 sion under this chapter. 

3 ‘‘(2) The United States Court of Appeals for the Dis4 trict of Columbia Circuit may not determine the final va5 lidity of a judgment of a military commission under this 

6 subsection until all other appeals from the judgment under 

7 this chapter have been waived or exhausted. 

8 ‘‘(3)(A) An accused may seek a determination by the 

9 United States Court of Appeals for the District of Colum10 bia Circuit of the final validity of the judgment of the mili11 tary commission under this subsection only upon petition 

12 to the Court for such determination. 

13 ‘‘(B) A petition on a judgment under subparagraph 

14 (A) shall be filed by the accused in the Court not later 

15 than 20 days after the date on which— 

16 ‘‘(i) written notice of the final decision of the 

17 military commission is served on the accused or de18 fense counsel; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) the accused submits, in the form pre20 scribed by section 950c of this title, a written notice 

21 waiving the right of the accused to review by the 

22 Court of Military Commission Review under section 

23 950f of this title. 


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1 ‘‘(C) The accused may not file a petition under sub2 paragraph (A) if the accused has waived the right to ap3 pellate review under section 950c(a) of this title. 

4 ‘‘(4) The determination by the United States Court 

5 of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit of the final 

6 validity of a judgment of a military commission under this 

7 subsection shall be governed by the provisions of section 

8 1005(e)(3) of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (42 

9 U.S.C. 801 note). 

10 ‘‘(b) REVIEW BY SUPREME COURT.—The Supreme 

11 Court of the United States may review by writ of certiorari 

12 pursuant to section 1257 of title 28 the final judgment 

13 of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of 

14 Columbia Circuit in a determination under subsection (a). 

15 ‘‘§ 950h. Appellate counsel 

16 ‘‘(a) APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 

17 shall, by regulation, establish procedures for the appoint18 ment of appellate counsel for the United States and for 

19 the accused in military commissions under this chapter. 

20 Appellate counsel shall meet the qualifications of counsel 

21 for appearing before military commissions under this 

22 chapter. 

23 ‘‘(b) REPRESENTATION OF UNITED STATES.—Appel24 late counsel may represent the United States in any ap25 peal or review proceeding under this chapter. Appellate 


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1 Government counsel may represent the United States be2 fore the United States Court of Appeals for the District 

3 of Columbia Circuit and the Supreme Court in cases aris4 ing under this chapter when requested to do so by the 

5 Attorney General. 

6 ‘‘(c) REPRESENTATION OF ACCUSED.—The accused 

7 shall be represented before the United States Court of Ap8 peals for the District of Columbia Circuit or the Supreme 

9 Court by military appellate counsel, or by civilian counsel 

10 if retained by him. 

11 ‘‘§ 950i. Execution of sentence; suspension of sentence 

12 ‘‘(a) EXECUTION OF SENTENCE OF DEATH ONLY

13 UPON APPROVAL BY THE PRESIDENT.—If the sentence 

14 of a military commission under this chapter extends to 

15 death, that part of the sentence providing for death may 

16 not be executed until approved by the President. In such 

17 a case, the President may commute, remit, or suspend the 

18 sentence, or any part thereof, as he sees fit. 

19 ‘‘(b) EXECUTION OF SENTENCE OF DEATH ONLY

20 UPON FINAL JUDGMENT OF LEGALITY OF PRO21 CEEDINGS.—(1) If the sentence of a military commission 

22 under this chapter extends to death, the sentence may not 

23 be executed until there is a final judgement as to the legal24 ity of the proceedings (and with respect to death, approval 

25 under subsection (a)). 


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1 ‘‘(2) A judgement as to legality of proceedings is final 

2 for purposes of paragraph (1) when— 

3 ‘‘(A) the time for the accused to file a petition 

4 for review by the United States Court of Appeals for 

5 the District of Columbia Circuit has expired and the 

6 accused has not filed a timely petition for such re7 view and the case is not otherwise under review by 

8 the Court; or 

9 ‘‘(B) review is completed in accordance with the 

10 judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for 

11 the District of Columbia Circuit and (A) a petition 

12 for a writ of certiorari is not timely filed, (B) such 

13 a petition is denied by the Supreme Court, or (C) 

14 review is otherwise completed in accordance with the 

15 judgment of the Supreme Court. 

16 ‘‘(c) SUSPENSION OF SENTENCE.—The Secretary of 

17 the Defense, or the convening authority acting on the case 

18 (if other than the Secretary), may suspend the execution 

19 of any sentence or part thereof in the case, except a sen20 tence of death. 

21 ‘‘§ 950j. Finality of proceedings, findings, and sen22 tences 

23 ‘‘(a) FINALITY.—The appellate review of records of 

24 trial provided by this chapter, and the proceedings, find25 ings, and sentences of military commissions as approved, 


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1 reviewed, or affirmed as required by this chapter, are final 

2 and conclusive. Orders publishing the proceedings of mili3 tary commissions under this chapter are binding upon all 

4 departments, courts, agencies, and officers of the United 

5 States, except as otherwise provided by the President. 

6 ‘‘(b) PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER SOLE BASIS FOR RE7 VIEW OF MILITARY COMMISSION PROCEDURES AND AC8 TIONS.—Except as otherwise provided in this chapter and 

9 notwithstanding any other provision of law (including sec10 tion 2241 of title 28 or any other habeas corpus provi11 sion), no court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to 

12 hear or consider any claim or cause of action whatsoever, 

13 including any action pending on or filed after the date of 

14 enactment of this chapter, relating to the prosecution, 

15 trial, or judgment of a military commission under this 

16 chapter, including challenges to the lawfulness of proce17 dures of military commissions under this chapter. 

18 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER VII—PUNITIVE MATTERS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘950aa. Definitions; construction of certain offenses; common circumstances. 

‘‘950bb. Statement of substantive offenses. 

‘‘950cc. Principals. 

‘‘950dd. Accessory after the fact. 

‘‘950ee. Conviction of lesser offenses. 

‘‘950ff. Attempts. 

‘‘950gg. Solicitation. 

‘‘950hh. Murder of protected persons. 

‘‘950ii. Attacking civilians. 

‘‘950jj. Attacking civilian objects. 

‘‘950kk. Attacking protected property. 

‘‘950ll. Pillaging. 

‘‘950mm. Denying quarter. 

‘‘950nn. Taking hostages. 

‘‘950oo. Employing poison or similar weapons. 


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‘‘950pp. Using protected persons as a shield. 

‘‘950qq. Using protected property as a shield. 

‘‘950rr. Torture. 

‘‘950ss. Cruel or inhuman treatment. 

‘‘950tt. Intentionally causing serious bodily injury. 

‘‘950uu. Mutilating or maiming. 

‘‘950vv. Murder in violation of the law of war. 

‘‘950ww. Destruction of property in violation of the law of war. 

‘‘950xx. Using treachery or perfidy. 

‘‘950yy. Improperly using a flag of truce. 

‘‘950zz. Improperly using a distinctive emblem. 

‘‘950aaa. Intentionally mistreating a dead body. 

‘‘950bbb. Rape. 

‘‘950ccc. Hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft. 

‘‘950ddd. Terrorism. 

‘‘950eee. Providing material support for terrorism. 

‘‘950fff. Wrongfully aiding the enemy. 

‘‘950ggg. Spying. 

‘‘950hhh. Conspiracy. 

‘‘950iii. Contempt. 

‘‘950jjj. Perjury and obstruction of justice. 

1 ‘‘§ 950aa. Definitions; construction of certain offenses; 

2 common circumstances 

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this subchapter: 

4 ‘‘(1) The term ‘military objective’ means com5 batants and those objects during an armed conflict 

6 which, by their nature, location, purpose, or use, ef7 fectively contribute to the war-fighting or war-sus8 taining capability of an opposing force and whose 

9 total or partial destruction, capture, or neutraliza10 tion would constitute a definite military advantage 

11 to the attacker under the circumstances at the time 

12 of an attack. 

13 ‘‘(2) The term ‘protected person’ means any 

14 person entitled to protection under one or more of 

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1 ing an active part in hostilities, military personnel 

2 placed out of combat by sickness, wounds, or deten3 tion, and military medical or religious personnel. 

4 ‘‘(3) The term ‘protected property’ means any 

5 property specifically protected by the law of war, in6 cluding buildings dedicated to religion, education, 

7 art, science, or charitable purposes, historic monu8 ments, hospitals, and places where the sick and 

9 wounded are collected, but only if and to the extent 

10 such property is not being used for military purposes 

11 or is not otherwise a military objective. The term in12 cludes objects properly identified by one of the dis13 tinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions, but 

14 does not include civilian property that is a military 

15 objective. 

16 ‘‘(b) CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN OFFENSES.—The 

17 intent required for offenses under sections 950hh, 950ii, 

18 950jj, 950kk, and 950ss of this title precludes their appli19 cability with regard to collateral damage or to death, dam20 age, or injury incident to a lawful attack. 

21 ‘‘(c) COMMON CIRCUMSTANCES.—An offense speci22 fied in this subchapter is triable by military commission 

23 under this chapter only if the offense is committed in the 

24 context of and associated with armed conflict. 


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1 ‘‘§ 950bb. Statement of substantive offenses 

2 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The provisions of this subchapter 

3 codify offenses that have traditionally been triable by mili4 tary commissions. This chapter does not establish new 

5 crimes that did not exist before its enactment, but rather 

6 codifies those crimes for trial by military commission. 

7 ‘‘(b) EFFECT.—Because the provisions of this sub8 chapter (including provisions that incorporate definitions 

9 in other provisions of law) are declarative of existing law, 

10 they do not preclude trial for crimes that occurred before 

11 the date of the enactment of this chapter. 

12 ‘‘§ 950cc. Principals 

13 ‘‘Any person is punishable as a principle under this 

14 chapter who— 

15 ‘‘(1) commits an offense punishable by this 

16 chapter, or aids, abets, counsels, commands, or pro17 cures its commission; 

18 ‘‘(2) causes an act to be done which if directly 

19 performed by him would be punishable by this chap20 ter; or 

21 ‘‘(3) is a superior commander who, with regard 

22 to acts punishable under this chapter, knew, had 

23 reason to know, or should have known, that a subor24 dinate was about to commit such acts or had done 

25 so and the superior failed to take the necessary and 


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1 reasonable measures to prevent such acts or to pun2 ish the perpetrators thereof. 

3 ‘‘§ 950dd. Accessory after the fact 

4 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who, knowing 

5 that an offense punishable by this chapter has been com6 mitted, receives, comforts, or assists the offender in order 

7 to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial, or punishment 

8 shall be punished as a military commission under this 

9 chapter may direct. 

10 ‘‘§ 950ee. Conviction of lesser offenses 

11 ‘‘An accused may be found guilty of an offense nec12 essarily included in the offense charged or of an attempt 

13 to commit either the offense charged or an attempt to 

14 commit either the offense charged or an offense nec15 essarily included therein. 

16 ‘‘§ 950ff. Attempts 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Any person subject to this chap18 ter who attempts to commit any offense punishable by this 

19 chapter shall be punished as a military commission under 

20 this chapter may direct. 

21 ‘‘(b) SCOPE OF OFFENSE.—An act, done with spe22 cific intent to commit an offense under this chapter, 

23 amounting to more than mere preparation and tending, 

24 even though failing, to effect its commission, is an attempt 

25 to commit that offense. 


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1 ‘‘(c) EFFECT OF CONSUMMATION.—Any person sub2 ject to this chapter may be convicted of an attempt to com3 mit an offense although it appears on the trial that the 

4 offense was consummated. 

5 ‘‘§ 950gg. Solicitation 

6 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who solicits or 

7 advises another or others to commit one or more sub8 stantive offenses triable by military commission under this 

9 chapter shall, if the offense solicited or advised is at10 tempted or committed, be punished with the punishment 

11 provided for the commission of the offense, but, if the of12 fense solicited or advised is not committed or attempted, 

13 he shall be punished as a military commission under this 

14 chapter may direct. 

15 ‘‘§ 950hh. Murder of protected persons 

16 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

17 kills one or more protected persons shall be punished by 

18 death or such other punishment as a military commission 

19 under this chapter may direct. 

20 ‘‘§ 950ii. Attacking civilians 

21 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

22 engages in an attack upon a civilian population as such, 

23 or individual civilians not taking active part in hostilities, 

24 shall be punished, if death results to one or more of the 

25 victims, by death or such other punishment as a military 


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1 commission under this chapter may direct, and, if death 

2 does not result to any of the victims, by such punishment, 

3 other than death, as a military commission under this 

4 chapter may direct. 

5 ‘‘§ 950jj. Attacking civilian objects 

6 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

7 engages in an attack upon a civilian object that is not a 

8 military objective shall be punished as a military commis9 sion under this chapter may direct. 

10 ‘‘§ 950kk. Attacking protected property 

11 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

12 engages in an attack upon protected property shall be pun13 ished as a military commission under this chapter may 

14 direct. 

15 ‘‘§ 950ll. Pillaging 

16 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

17 and in the absence of military necessity appropriates or 

18 seizes property for private or personal use, without the 

19 consent of a person with authority to permit such appro20 priation or seizure, shall be punished as a military com21 mission under this chapter may direct. 

22 ‘‘§ 950mm. Denying quarter 

23 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who, with effec24 tive command or control over subordinate groups, de25 clares, orders, or otherwise indicates to those groups that 


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1 there shall be no survivors or surrender accepted, with the 

2 intent to threaten an adversary or to conduct hostilities 

3 such that there would be no survivors or surrender accept4 ed, shall be punished as a military commission under this 

5 chapter may direct. 

6 ‘‘§ 950nn. Taking hostages 

7 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who, having 

8 knowingly seized or detained one or more persons, threat9 ens to kill, injure, or continue to detain such person or 

10 persons with the intent of compelling any nation, person 

11 other than the hostage, or group of persons to act or re12 frain from acting as an explicit or implicit condition for 

13 the safety or release of such person or persons, shall be 

14 punished, if death results to one or more of the victims, 

15 by death or such other punishment as a military commis16 sion under this chapter may direct, and, if death does not 

17 result to any of the victims, by such punishment, other 

18 than death, as a military commission under this chapter 

19 may direct. 

20 ‘‘§ 950oo. Employing poison or similar weapons 

21 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who inten22 tionally, as a method of warfare, employs a substance or 

23 weapon that releases a substance that causes death or se24 rious and lasting damage to health in the ordinary course 

25 of events, through its asphyxiating, bacteriological, or 


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1 toxic properties, shall be punished, if death results to one 

2 or more of the victims, by death or such other punishment 

3 as a military commission under this chapter may direct, 

4 and, if death does not result to any of the victims, by such 

5 punishment, other than death, as a military commission 

6 under this chapter may direct. 

7 ‘‘§ 950pp. Using protected persons as a shield 

8 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who positions, 

9 or otherwise takes advantage of, a protected person with 

10 the intent to shield a military objective from attack. or 

11 to shield, favor, or impede military operations, shall be 

12 punished, if death results to one or more of the victims, 

13 by death or such other punishment as a military commis14 sion under this chapter may direct, and, if death does not 

15 result to any of the victims, by such punishment, other 

16 than death, as a military commission under this chapter 

17 may direct. 

18 ‘‘§ 950qq. Using protected property as a shield 

19 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who positions, 

20 or otherwise takes advantage of the location of, protected 

21 property with the intent to shield a military objective from 

22 attack, or to shield, favor, or impede military operations, 

23 shall be punished as a military commission under this 

24 chapter may direct. 


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1 ‘‘§ 950rr. Torture 

2 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.—Any person subject to this chapter 

3 who commits an act specifically intended to inflict severe 

4 physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or 

5 suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another per6 son within his custody or physical control for the purpose 

7 of obtaining information or a confession, punishment, in8 timidation, coercion, or any reason based on discrimina9 tion of any kind, shall be punished, if death results to one 

10 or more of the victims, by death or such other punishment 

11 as a military commission under this chapter may direct, 

12 and, if death does not result to any of the victims, by such 

13 punishment, other than death, as a military commission 

14 under this chapter may direct. 

15 ‘‘(b) SEVERE MENTAL PAIN OR SUFFERING DE16 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘severe mental pain or 

17 suffering’ has the meaning given that term in section 

18 2340(2) of title 18. 

19 ‘‘§ 950ss. Cruel or inhuman treatment 

20 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.—Any person subject to this chapter 

21 who commits, or conspires or attempts to commit, an act 

22 intended to inflict severe or serious physical or mental 

23 pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental 

24 to lawful sanctions), including serious physical abuse, 

25 upon another within his custody or control shall be pun26 ished, if death results to the victim, by death or such other 


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1 punishment as a military commission under this chapter 

2 may direct, and, if death does not result to the victim, 

3 by such punishment, other than death, as a military com4 mission under this chapter may direct. 

5 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) The term ‘severe mental pain or suffering’ 

7 has the meaning given that term in section 2340(2) 

8 of title 18. 

9 ‘‘(2) The term ‘serious physical pain or suf10 fering’ means bodily injury that involves— 

11 ‘‘(A) a substantial risk of death; 

12 ‘‘(B) extreme physical pain; 

13 ‘‘(C) a burn or physical disfigurement of a 

14 serious nature (other than cuts, abrasions, or 

15 bruises); or 

16 ‘‘(D) significant loss or impairment of the 

17 function of a bodily member, organ, or mental 

18 faculty. 

19 ‘‘(3) The term ‘serious mental pain or suf20 fering’ has the meaning given the term ‘severe men21 tal pain or suffering’ in section 2340(2) of title 18, 

22 except that— 

23 ‘‘(A) the term ‘serious’ shall replace the 

24 term ‘severe’ where it appears; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) as to conduct occurring after the date 

2 of the enactment of the Military Commission 

3 Act of 2006, the term ‘serious and non-transi4 tory mental harm (which need not be pro5 longed)’ shall replace the term ‘prolonged men6 tal harm’ where it appears. 

7 ‘‘§ 950tt. Intentionally causing serious bodily injury 

8 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.—Any person subject to this chapter 

9 who intentionally causes serious bodily injury to one or 

10 more persons, including lawful combatants, in violation of 

11 the law of war shall be punished, if death results to one 

12 or more of the victims, by death or such other punishment 

13 as a military commission under this chapter may direct, 

14 and, if death does not result to any of the victims, by such 

15 punishment, other than death, as a military commission 

16 under this chapter may direct. 

17 ‘‘(b) SERIOUS BODILY INJURY DEFINED.—In this 

18 section, the term ‘serious bodily injury’ means bodily in19 jury which involves— 

20 ‘‘(1) a substantial risk of death; 

21 ‘‘(2) extreme physical pain; 

22 ‘‘(3) protracted and obvious disfigurement; or 

23 ‘‘(4) protracted loss or impairment of the func24 tion of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty. 


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1 ‘‘§ 950uu. Mutilating or maiming 

2 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

3 injures one or more protected persons by disfiguring the 

4 person or persons by any mutilation of the person or per5 sons, or by permanently disabling any member, limb, or 

6 organ of the body of the person or persons, without any 

7 legitimate medical or dental purpose, shall be punished, 

8 if death results to one or more of the victims, by death 

9 or such other punishment as a military commission under 

10 this chapter may direct, and, if death does not result to 

11 any of the victims, by such punishment, other than death, 

12 as a military commission under this chapter may direct. 

13 ‘‘§ 950vv. Murder in violation of the law of war 

14 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

15 kills one or more persons, including lawful combatants, in 

16 violation of the law of war shall be punished by death or 

17 such other punishment as a military commission under 

18 this chapter may direct. 

19 ‘‘§ 950ww. Destruction of property in violation of the 

20 law of war 

21 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

22 destroys property belonging to another person in violation 

23 of the law of war shall punished as a military commission 

24 under this chapter may direct. 


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1 ‘‘§ 950xx. Using treachery or perfidy 

2 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who, after invit3 ing the confidence or belief of one or more persons that 

4 they were entitled to, or obliged to accord, protection 

5 under the law of war, intentionally makes use of that con6 fidence or belief in killing, injuring, or capturing such per7 son or persons shall be punished, if death results to one 

8 or more of the victims, by death or such other punishment 

9 as a military commission under this chapter may direct, 

10 and, if death does not result to any of the victims, by such 

11 punishment, other than death, as a military commission 

12 under this chapter may direct. 

13 ‘‘§ 950yy. Improperly using a flag of truce 

14 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who uses a flag 

15 of truce to feign an intention to negotiate, surrender, or 

16 otherwise suspend hostilities when there is no such inten17 tion shall be punished as a military commission under this 

18 chapter may direct. 

19 ‘‘§ 950zz. Improperly using a distinctive emblem 

20 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

21 uses a distinctive emblem recognized by the law of war 

22 for combatant purposes in a manner prohibited by the law 

23 of war shall be punished as a military commission under 

24 this chapter may direct. 


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1 ‘‘§ 950aaa. Intentionally mistreating a dead body 

2 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

3 mistreats the body of a dead person, without justification 

4 by legitimate military necessary, shall be punished as a 

5 military commission under this chapter may direct. 

6 ‘‘§ 950bbb. Rape 

7 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who forcibly or 

8 with coercion or threat of force wrongfully invades the 

9 body of a person by penetrating, however slightly, the anal 

10 or genital opening of the victim with any part of the body 

11 of the accused, or with any foreign object, shall be pun12 ished as a military commission under this chapter may 

13 direct. 

14 ‘‘§ 950ccc. Hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft 

15 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

16 seizes, exercises unauthorized control over, or endangers 

17 the safe navigation of a vessel or aircraft that is not a 

18 legitimate military objective shall be punished, if death re19 sults to one or more of the victims, by death or such other 

20 punishment as a military commission under this chapter 

21 may direct, and, if death does not result to any of the 

22 victims, by such punishment, other than death, as a mili23 tary commission under this chapter may direct. 

24 ‘‘§ 950ddd. Terrorism 

25 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who intentionally 

26 kills or inflicts great bodily harm on one or more protected 


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1 persons, or intentionally engages in an act that evinces 

2 a wanton disregard for human life, in a manner calculated 

3 to influence or affect the conduct of government or civilian 

4 population by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate 

5 against government conduct, shall be punished, if death 

6 results to one or more of the victims, by death or such 

7 other punishment as a military commission under this 

8 chapter may direct, and, if death does not result to any 

9 of the victims, by such punishment, other than death, as 

10 a military commission under this chapter may direct. 

11 ‘‘§ 950eee. Providing material support for terrorism 

12 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.—Any person subject to this chapter 

13 who provides material support or resources, knowing or 

14 intending that they are to be used in preparation for, or 

15 in carrying out, an act of terrorism (as set forth in section 

16 950ddd of this title), or who intentionally provides mate17 rial support or resources to an international terrorist orga18 nization engaged in hostilities against the United States, 

19 knowing that such organization has engaged or engages 

20 in terrorism (as so set forth), shall be punished as a mili21 tary commission under this chapter may direct. 

22 ‘‘(b) MATERIAL SUPPORT OR RESOURCES DE23 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘material support or re24 sources’ has the meaning given that term in section 

25 2339A(b) of title 18. 


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1 ‘‘§ 950fff. Wrongfully aiding the enemy 

2 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who, in breach 

3 of an allegiance or duty to the United States, knowingly 

4 and intentionally aids an enemy of the United States, or 

5 one of the co-belligerents of the enemy, shall be punished 

6 as a military commission under this chapter may direct. 

7 ‘‘§ 950ggg. Spying 

8 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who, in violation 

9 of the law of war and with intent or reason to believe that 

10 it is to be used to the injury of the United States or to 

11 the advantage of a foreign power, collects or attempts to 

12 collect information by clandestine means or while acting 

13 under false pretenses, for the purpose of conveying such 

14 information to an enemy of the United States, or one of 

15 the co-belligerents of the enemy, shall be punished by 

16 death or such other punishment as a military commission 

17 under this chapter may direct. 

18 ‘‘§ 950hhh. Conspiracy 

19 ‘‘Any person subject to this chapter who conspires to 

20 commit one or more substantive offenses triable by mili21 tary commission under this subchapter, and who know22 ingly does any overt act to effect the object of the con23 spiracy, shall be punished, if death results to one or more 

24 of the victims, by death or such other punishment as a 

25 military commission under this chapter may direct, and, 

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1 ishment, other than death, as a military commission under 

2 this chapter may direct. 

3 ‘‘§ 950iii. Contempt 

4 ‘‘A military commission under this chapter may pun5 ish for contempt any person who uses any menacing word, 

6 sign, or gesture in its presence, or who disturbs its pro7 ceedings by any riot or disorder. 

8 ‘‘§ 950jjj. Perjury and obstruction of justice 

9 ‘‘A military commission under this chapter may try 

10 offenses and impose such punishment as the military com11 mission may direct for perjury, false testimony, or ob12 struction of justice related to the military commission.’’. 

13 (2) TABLES OF CHAPTERS AMENDMENTS.—The 

14 tables of chapters at the beginning of subtitle A and 

15 part II of subtitle A of title 10, United States Code, 

16 are each amended by inserting after the item relat17 ing to chapter 47 the following new item: 

‘‘Chapter 47A. Military Commissions ....................................................... 948a.’’. 

18 (b) SUBMITTAL OF PROCEDURES TO CONGRESS.— 

19 (1) SUBMITTAL OF PROCEDURES.—Not later 

20 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 

21 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 

22 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 

23 the House of Representatives a report setting forth 

24 the procedures for military commissions prescribed 


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1 under chapter 47A of title 10, United States Code 

2 (as added by subsection (a)). 

3 (2) SUBMITTAL OF MODIFICATIONS.—Not later 

4 than 60 days before the date on which any proposed 

5 modification of the procedures described in para6 graph (1) shall go into effect, the Secretary shall 

7 submit to the committees of Congress referred to in 

8 that paragraph a report describing such modifica9 tion. 

10 SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO OTHER LAWS. 

11 (a) DETAINEE TREATMENT ACT OF 2005.—Section 

12 1004(b) of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (title X 

13 of Public Law 109–148; 119 Stat. 2740; 42 U.S.C. 

14 200dd–1(b)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘may provide’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘shall provide’’; 

17 (2) by inserting ‘‘or investigation’’ after ‘‘crimi18 nal prosecution’’; and 

19 (3) by inserting ‘‘whether before United States 

20 courts or agencies, foreign courts or agencies, or 

21 international courts or agencies,’’ after ‘‘described in 

22 that subsection,’’. 

23 (b) UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE.—Chap24 ter 47 of title, 10, United States Code (the Uniform Code 

25 of Military Justice), is amended as follows: 


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1 (1) Section 802 (article 2 of the Uniform Code 

2 of Military Justice) is amended by adding at the end 

3 the following new paragraph: 

4 ‘‘(13) Lawful enemy combatants (as that term 

5 is defined in section 948a(3) of this title) who vio6 late the law of war.’’. 

7 (2) Section 821 (article 21 of the Uniform Code 

8 of Military Justice) is amended by striking ‘‘by stat9 ute or law of war’’. 

10 (3) Section 836(a) (article 36(a) of the Uniform 

11 Code of Military Justice) is amended by inserting 

12 ‘‘(other than military commissions under chapter 

13 47A of this title)’’ after ‘‘other military tribunals’’. 

14 (c) PUNITIVE ARTICLE OF CONSPIRACY.—Section 

15 881 of title 10, United States Code (article 81 of the Uni16 form Code of Military Justice)), is amended— 

17 (1) by inserting ‘‘(a)’’ before ‘‘Any person’’; and 

18 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub19 section: 

20 ‘‘(b) Any person subject to this chapter or chapter 

21 47A of this title who conspires with any other person to 

22 commit an offense under the law of war, and who know23 ingly does an overt act to effect the object of the con24 spiracy, shall be punished, if death results to one or more 

25 of the victims, by death or such other punishment as a 


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1 court-martial or military commission may direct, and, if 

2 death does not result to any of the victims, by such pun3 ishment, other than death, as a court-martial or military 

4 commission may direct.’’. 

5 (d) REVIEW OF JUDGMENTS OF MILITARY COMMIS6 SIONS.— 

7 (1) REVIEW BY SUPREME COURT.—Section 

8 1259 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by 

9 adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

10 ‘‘(5) Cases tried by military commission and re11 viewed by the United States Court of Appeals for 

12 the District of Columbia Circuit under section 950g 

13 of title 10.’’. 

14 (2) DETAINEE TREATMENT ACT OF 2005.—Sec15 tion 1005(e)(3) of the Detainee Treatment Act of 

16 2005 (title X of Public Law 109–148; 119 Stat. 

17 2740; 10 U.S.C. 801 note) is amended— 

18 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

19 ‘‘pursuant to Military Commission Order 

20 No. 1. dated August 31, 2005 (or any suc21 cessor military order)’’ and inserting ‘‘by a 

22 military commission under chapter 47A of 

23 title 10, United States Code’’; 


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1 (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and 

2 inserting the following new subparagraph 

3 (B): 

4 ‘‘(B) GRANT OF REVIEW.—Review under 

5 this paragraph shall be as of right.’’; 

6 (C) in subparagraph (C)— 

7 (i) in clause (i)— 

8 (I) by striking ‘‘pursuant to 

9 the military order’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘by a military commission’’; and 

11 (II) by striking ‘‘at Guanta12 namo Bay, Cuba’’; and 

13 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking 

14 ‘‘pursuant to such military order’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘by the military commis16 sion’’; and 

17 (D) in subparagraph (D)(i), by strik18 ing ‘‘specified in the military order’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘specified for a military commis20 sion’’. 

21 SEC. 6. HABEAS CORPUS MATTERS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2241 of title 28, United 

23 States Code, is amended— 

24 (1) by striking subsection (e) (as added by sec25 tion 1005(e)(1) of Public Law 109–148 (119 Stat. 


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1 2742)) and by striking subsection (e) (as added by 

2 added by section 1405(e)(1) of Public Law 109–163 

3 (119 Stat. 3477)); and 

4 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub5 section: 

6 ‘‘(e)(1) No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdic7 tion to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas 

8 corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the 

9 United States who— 

10 ‘‘(A) is currently in United States custody; and 

11 ‘‘(B) has been determined by the United States 

12 to have been properly detained as an enemy combat13 ant or is awaiting such determination. 

14 ‘‘(2) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) 

15 of section 1005(e) of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 

16 (10 U.S.C. 801 note), no court, justice, or judge shall have 

17 jurisdiction to hear or consider any other action against 

18 the United States or its agents relating to any aspect of 

19 the detention, transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of 

20 confinement of an alien detained by the United States 

21 who— 

22 ‘‘(A) is currently in United States custody; and 

23 ‘‘(B) has been determined by the United States 

24 to have been properly detained as an enemy combat25 ant or is awaiting such determination.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, and shall apply to all cases, without ex4 ception, pending on or after the date of the enactment of 

5 this Act which relate to any aspect of the detention, trans6 fer, treatment, trial, or conditions of detention of an alien 

7 detained by the United States since September 11, 2001. 

8 SEC. 7. TREATY OBLIGATIONS NOT ESTABLISHING 

9 GROUNDS FOR CERTAIN CLAIMS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—No person may invoke the Geneva 

11 Conventions, or any protocols thereto, in any habeas or 

12 civil action or proceeding to which the United States, or 

13 a current or former officer, employee, member of the 

14 Armed Forces, or other agent of the United States, is a 

15 party, as a source of rights in any court of the United 

16 States or its States or territories. 

17 (b) GENEVA CONVENTIONS DEFINED.—In this sec18 tion, the term ‘‘Geneva Conventions’’ means— 

19 (1) the Convention for the Amelioration of the 

20 Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed 

21 Forces in the Field, done at Geneva August 12, 

22 1949 (6 UST 3217); 

23 (2) the Convention for the Amelioration of the 

24 Condition of the Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked 


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1 Members of the Armed Forces at Sea, done at Gene2 va August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3217); 

3 (3) the Convention Relative to the Treatment of 

4 Prisoners of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 

5 (6 UST 3316); and 

6 (4) the Convention Relative to the Protection of 

7 Civilian Persons in Time of War, done at Geneva 

8 August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3516). 

9 SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATY OBLIGATIONS. 

10 (a) IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATY OBLIGATIONS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The acts enumerated in sub12 section (d) of section 2441 of title 18, United States 

13 Code, as added by subsection (b) of this section, and 

14 in subsection (c) of this section, constitute violations 

15 of common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions pro16 hibited by United States law. 

17 (2) PROHIBITION ON GRAVE BREACHES.—The 

18 provisions of section 2441 of title 18, United States 

19 Code, as amended by this section, fully satisfy the 

20 obligation under Article 129 of the Third Geneva 

21 Convention for the United States to provide effective 

22 penal sanctions for grave breaches which are encom23 passed in common Article 3 in the context of an 

24 armed conflict not of an international character. No 

25 foreign or international source of law shall supply a 


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1 basis for a rule of decision in the courts of the 

2 United States in interpreting the prohibitions enu3 merated in subsection (d) of such section 2441. 

4 (3) INTERPRETATION BY THE PRESIDENT.—(A) 

5 As provided by the Constitution and by this section, 

6 the President has the authority for the United 

7 States to interpret the meaning and application of 

8 the Geneva Conventions and to promulgate higher 

9 standards and administrative regulations for viola10 tions of treaty obligations which are not grave 

11 breaches of the Geneva Conventions. 

12 (B) The President shall issue interpretations 

13 described by subparagraph (A) by Executive Order 

14 published in the Federal Register. 

15 (C) Any Executive Order published under this 

16 paragraph shall be authoritative (as to non-grave 

17 breach provisions of common Article 3) as a matter 

18 of United States law, in the same manner as other 

19 administrative regulations. 

20 (D) Nothing in this section shall be construed 

21 to affect the constitutional functions and responsibil22 ities of Congress and the judicial branch of the 

23 United States. 

24 (4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 


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1 (A) The term ‘‘Geneva Conventions’’ 

2 means— 

3 (i) the Convention for the Ameliora4 tion of the Condition of the Wounded and 

5 Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, done at 

6 Geneva August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3217); 

7 (ii) the Convention for the Ameliora8 tion of the Condition of the Wounded, 

9 Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of the 

10 Armed Forces at Sea, done at Geneva Au11 gust 12, 1949 (6 UST 3217); 

12 (iii) the Convention Relative to the 

13 Treatment of Prisoners of War, done at 

14 Geneva August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3316); 

15 and 

16 (iv) the Convention Relative to the 

17 Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of 

18 War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 (6 

19 UST 3516). 

20 (B) The term ‘‘Third Geneva Convention’’ 

21 means the international convention referred to 

22 in subparagraph (A)(iii). 

23 (b) REVISION TO WAR CRIMES OFFENSE UNDER

24 FEDERAL CRIMINAL CODE.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2441 of title 18, 

2 United States Code, is amended— 

3 (A) in subsection (c), by striking para4 graph (3) and inserting the following new para5 graph (3): 

6 ‘‘(3) which constitutes a grave breach of com7 mon Article 3 as defined in subsection (d) when 

8 committed in the context of and in association with 

9 an armed conflict not of an international character; 

10 or’’; and 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

12 subsection: 

13 ‘‘(d) COMMON ARTICLE 3 VIOLATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) PROHIBITED CONDUCT.—In subsection 

15 (c)(3), the term ‘grave breach of common Article 3’ 

16 means any conduct (such conduct constituting a 

17 grave breach of common Article 3 of the inter18 national conventions done at Geneva August 12, 

19 1949), as follows: 

20 ‘‘(A) TORTURE.—The act of a person who 

21 commits, or conspires or attempts to commit, 

22 an act specifically intended to inflict severe 

23 physical or mental pain or suffering (other than 

24 pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) 

25 upon another person within his custody or 


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1 physical control for the purpose of obtaining in2 formation or a confession, punishment, intimi3 dation, coercion, or any reason based on dis4 crimination of any kind. 

5 ‘‘(B) CRUEL OR INHUMAN TREATMENT.— 

6 The act of a person who commits, or conspires 

7 or attempts to commit, an act intended to in8 flict severe or serious physical or mental pain or 

9 suffering (other than pain or suffering inci10 dental to lawful sanctions), including serious 

11 physical abuse, upon another within his custody 

12 or control. 

13 ‘‘(C) PERFORMING BIOLOGICAL EXPERI14 MENTS.—The act of a person who subjects, or 

15 conspires or attempts to subject, one or more 

16 persons within his custody or physical control to 

17 biological experiments without a legitimate med18 ical or dental purpose and in so doing endan19 gers the body or health of such person or per20 sons. 

21 ‘‘(D) MURDER.—The act of a person who 

22 intentionally kills, or conspires or attempts to 

23 kill, or kills whether intentionally or uninten24 tionally in the course of committing any other 

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1 sons taking no active part in the hostilities, in2 cluding those placed out of combat by sickness, 

3 wounds, detention, or any other cause. 

4 ‘‘(E) MUTILATION OR MAIMING.—The act 

5 of a person who intentionally injures, or con6 spires or attempts to injure, or injures whether 

7 intentionally or unintentionally in the course of 

8 committing any other offense under this sub9 section, one or more persons taking no active 

10 part in the hostilities, including those placed 

11 out of combat by sickness, wounds, detention, 

12 or any other cause, by disfiguring the person or 

13 persons by any mutilation thereof or by perma14 nently disabling any member, limb, or organ of 

15 his body, without any legitimate medical or den16 tal purpose. 

17 ‘‘(F) INTENTIONALLY CAUSING SERIOUS

18 BODILY INJURY.—The act of a person who in19 tentionally causes, or conspires or attempts to 

20 cause, serious bodily injury to one or more per21 sons, including lawful combatants, in violation 

22 of the law of war. 

23 ‘‘(G) RAPE.—The act of a person who 

24 forcibly or with coercion or threat of force 

25 wrongfully invades, or conspires or attempts to 


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1 invade, the body of a person by penetrating, 

2 however slightly, the anal or genital opening of 

3 the victim with any part of the body of the ac4 cused, or with any foreign object. 

5 ‘‘(H) SEXUAL ASSAULT OR ABUSE.—The 

6 act of a person who forcibly or with coercion or 

7 threat of force engages, or conspires or at8 tempts to engage, in sexual contact with one or 

9 more persons, or causes, or conspires or at10 tempts to cause, one or more persons to engage 

11 in sexual contact. 

12 ‘‘(I) TAKING HOSTAGES.—The act of a 

13 person who, having knowingly seized or de14 tained one or more persons, threatens to kill, 

15 injure, or continue to detain such person or per16 sons with the intent of compelling any nation, 

17 person other than the hostage, or group of per18 sons to act or refrain from acting as an explicit 

19 or implicit condition for the safety or release of 

20 such person or persons. 

21 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In the case of an offense 

22 under subsection (a) by reason of subsection 

23 (c)(3)— 

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1 graphs (1)(A) and (1)(B) in accordance with 

2 the meaning given that term in section 2340(2) 

3 of this title; 

4 ‘‘(B) the term ‘serious bodily injury’ shall 

5 be applied for purposes of paragraph (1)(F) in 

6 accordance with the meaning given that term in 

7 section 113(b)(2) of this title; 

8 ‘‘(C) the term ‘sexual contact’ shall be ap9 plied for purposes of paragraph (1)(G) in ac10 cordance with the meaning given that term in 

11 section 2246(3) of this title; 

12 ‘‘(D) the term ‘serious physical pain or 

13 suffering’ shall be applied for purposes of para14 graph (1)(B) as meaning bodily injury that in15 volves— 

16 ‘‘(i) a substantial risk of death; 

17 ‘‘(ii) extreme physical pain; 

18 ‘‘(iii) a burn or physical disfigurement 

19 of a serious nature (other than cuts, abra20 sions, or bruises); or 

21 ‘‘(iv) significant loss or impairment of 

22 the function of a bodily member, organ, or 

23 mental faculty; and 

24 ‘‘(E) the term ‘serious mental pain or suf25 fering’ shall be applied for purposes of paraVerDate Aug 31 2005 01:21 Sep 23, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00091 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3930.IS S3930

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1 graph (1)(B) in accordance with the meaning 

2 given the term ‘severe mental pain or suffering’ 

3 (as defined in section 2340(2) of this title), ex4 cept that— 

5 ‘‘(i) the term ‘serious’ shall replace 

6 the term ‘severe’ where it appears; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) as to conduct occurring after the 

8 date of the enactment of the Military Com9 mission Act of 2006, the term ‘serious and 

10 non-transitory mental harm (which need 

11 not be prolonged)’ shall replace the term 

12 ‘prolonged mental harm’ where it appears. 

13 ‘‘(3) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS

14 WITH RESPECT TO COLLATERAL DAMAGE OR INCI15 DENT OF LAWFUL ATTACK.—The intent specified for 

16 the conduct stated in subparagraphs (D), (E), and 

17 (F) or paragraph (1) precludes the applicability of 

18 those subparagraphs to an offense under subsection 

19 (a) by reasons of subsection (c)(3) with respect to— 

20 ‘‘(A) collateral damage; or 

21 ‘‘(B) death, damage, or injury incident to 

22 a lawful attack. 

23 ‘‘(4) INAPPLICABILITY OF TAKING HOSTAGES

24 TO PRISONER EXCHANGE.—Paragraph (1)(I) does 

25 not apply to an offense under subsection (a) by reaVerDate Aug 31 2005 01:21 Sep 23, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00092 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3930.IS S3930

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1 son of subsection (c)(3) in the case of a prisoner ex2 change during wartime.’’. 

3 (2) RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.—The 

4 amendments made by this subsection, except as 

5 specified in subsection (d)(2)(E) of section 2441 of 

6 title 18, United States Code, shall take effect as of 

7 November 26, 1997, as if enacted immediately after 

8 the amendments made by section 583 of Public Law 

9 105–118 (as amended by section 4002(e)(7) of Pub10 lic Law 107–273). 

11 (c) ADDITIONAL PROHIBITION ON CRUEL, INHUMAN, 

12 OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—No individual in the custody 

14 or under the physical control of the United States 

15 Government, regardless of nationality or physical lo16 cation, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrad17 ing treatment or punishment. 

18 (2) CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREAT19 MENT OR PUNISHMENT DEFINED.—In this sub20 section, the term ‘‘cruel, inhuman, or degrading 

21 treatment or punishment’’ means cruel, unusual, 

22 and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited 

23 by the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments 

24 to the Constitution of the United States, as defined 

25 in the United States Reservations, Declarations and 


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1 Understandings to the United Nations Convention 

2 Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhu3 man or Degrading Treatment or Punishment done 

4 at New York, December 10, 1984. 

5 (3) COMPLIANCE.—The President shall take ap6 propriate action to ensure compliance with this sub7 section, including through the establishment of ad8 ministrative rules and procedures. 

9 SEC. 9. DETENTION COVERED BY REVIEW OF DECISIONS 

10 OF COMBATANT STATUS REVIEW TRIBUNALS 

11 OF PROPRIETY OF DETENTION. 

12 Section 1005(e)(2)(B)(i) of the Detainee Treatment 

13 Act of 2005 (title X of Public Law 109–148; 119 Stat. 

14 2742; 10 U.S.C. 801 note) is amended by striking ‘‘the 

15 Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘the United States’’. 

17 SEC. 10. SEVERABILITY. 

18 If any provision of this Act or amendment made by 

19 a provision of this Act, or the application of such provision 

20 or amendment to any person or circumstance, is held to 

21 be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act and the 

22 amendments made by this Act, and the application of such 

23 provisions and amendments to any other person or cir24 cumstance, shall not be affected thereby. 

Æ 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS