Supreme Court case will touch on presidential war powers

U.S. defends treatment of Hamdi

Bill Mears
CNN Washington Bureau
Tuesday, March 30, 2004 Posted: 4:35 PM EST (2135 GMT)

At issue is whether American citizens arrested on a non-U.S. combat zone can be held incommunicado without charges. The case will test the government's power to interrogate American captives without allowing access to a lawyer or the courts, because they may pose a future threat, or know about pending terrorist attacks. And it could define when and if federal courts can intervene.