Charles Swift

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Charles Swift

Charles Swift (born 1962 in Franklin , North Carolina ) is a former lieutenant commander in the US Navy who served as a military lawyer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps . Most recently, he served in the Office of Military Commissions of the US Department of Defense , which was established in February 2004 to administer the Guantánamo military tribunals. He also represented the petitioner in the Hamdan v . Rumsfeld trial . Since 2007 he has been an adjunct professor at the School of Law at Emory University in DeKalb County , Georgia .

Life

Swift graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in history. In 1985 he studied at the Division Officers School in San Diego ( California ). He received his PhD in Jurisprudence from the Seattle School of Law in 1994 and attended the basic legal course at the Naval Justice School.

After graduating from the US Naval Academy, he served from 1985-87 as a damage control assistant on the USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) in Agana ( Guam ), 1988-90 as a navigator on the USS Rathburne (FF-1057) ( Pearl Harbor , Hawaii ) and from 1990–91 as assistant for international education at the Surface Warfare Department Head School in Newport ( Rhode Island ).

He retired from active service in 1991 to study at the Seattle School of Law . After graduating with honors, he returned to active service and served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the US Navy (JAGC). His employment with the JAGC from 1995-97 was that of a Defense Advisor and Legal Officer in the Naval Legal Service Northwest . Here he was also named Junior Officer of the Year 1997. His next employment was from 1997-2000 as Staff Judge Advocate and Special Assistant to the US Attorney for Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, Puerto Rico . He was then used until 2003 as a senior officer in the second largest legal department of the US Navy at the Mayport naval base (Florida). In 2003 he was transferred to the Office of Military Commissions as a defense advisor or military attorney .

Swift defended Salim Ahmed Hamdan in the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld . Hamdan was bodyguard and driver of al-Qaeda -Führungsfigur Osama bin Laden . As a defense attorney, he obtained a landmark ruling from the US Supreme Court . On June 29, 2006, it was decided that the military tribunals in the Guantánamo prison camp were illegal . The judges ruled that President George W. Bush has exceeded his powers. Part of the verdict is that the military tribunals Bush established in Guantánamo Bay are unconstitutional. Commenting on the decision, Swift said, "It's been a long way."

At this point, Swift had over nine years of litigation experience, including six as legal counsel. He had represented over 150 soldiers (20 of them before a military court). In December 2005, Charles Swift was named Lawyer of the Year by the National Law Journal .

In the fall of 2006, it was announced that the US Navy had refused his upcoming promotion, effectively ending his career in the Navy. Commander Swift announced that he would retire from the Navy in spring 2007.

Since 2007 he has been an adjunct visiting professor at the School of Law at Emory University in DeKalb County , Georgia and acting director of the newly established International Humanitarian Law Clinic .

His awards include: the Navy Commendation Medal with double oak leaves, the Navy Achievement Medal with six oak leaves, the Navy Expeditionary Medal , the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Sea Service Ribbin with quadruple oak leaves.

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  1. ↑ Quotation on Spiegel Online
  2. ^ Editorial: The Cost of Doing Your Duty. In: The New York Times , Wednesday October 11, 2007, p. A26.
personal data
SURNAME Swift, Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American military lawyer
DATE OF BIRTH 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Franklin , North Carolina