Overview

In November 2001, a thirty-one-year-old Yemeni man named Salim Ahmed Hamdan was captured near the Pakistan border and turned over to US forces in Afghanistan. After confessing to being Osama bin Laden's driver, Hamdan was transferred to Guantánamo Bay and designated for trial before a special military tribunal. The Pentagon assigned a young military defense lawyer, Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift, to represent him in a defense that no one expected to amount to much. But with the help of a young constitutional law professor, Neal Katyal, Swift sued the Bush administration over the legality of the tribunals--and won. Written with the cooperation of Swift and Katyal, here is the inside story of this seminal case, perhaps the most important decision on presidential power and the rule of law in the history of the Supreme Court.

Full Product Details

9781433244025

Table of Contents

Reviews

""The Challenge is not just a very readable account of an important case. It is also an intimate account of the lawyers who overcame personal conflicts, animus, and flaws to produce a decision for the ages."" -- ""New York Times"" ""[Mahler's] ability to communicate the grave constitutional consequences of the case and the often bizarrely circuitous path they must take to reach the Supreme Court make for a thrilling and moving drama of justice, democracy, and the patriotism of challenging your own government."" -- ""Amazon.com Review"" ""A work of rare drama."" -- ""New York Review of Books"" ""An excellent legal thriller."" -- ""Toronto Star"" ""For those who thrill to what might be called the geology of American constitutional bedrock, The Challenge is a riveting read."" -- ""New York Sun"" ""Mahler excels at telling the story of a talented, fractious team coming together for a greater goal."" -- ""New Yorker"" ""Mahler skillfully humanizes the characters and institutions at the heart of the case...[and] amply conveys the heroism of his protagonists."" -- ""Publishers Weekly""

Author Information

Jonathan Mahler is a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and the author of three books, including the bestseller Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, which was adapted as an ESPN miniseries. His journalism has received numerous awards and been featured in The Best American Sports Writing. He lives in Brooklyn. William Hughes is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. A professor of political science at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, he received his doctorate in American politics from the University of California at Davis. He has done voice-over work for radio and film and is also an accomplished jazz guitarist.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available