New ‘Gitmo’ court judge selected

WASHINGTON - A retired Navy flag-officer judge has been named to oversee the military tribunals at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, filling a job that has lacked a permanent occupant since his predecessor was dismissed in 2018 after discussing plea deals with defense lawyers in the Sept. 11 (9/11) and the destroyer USS Cole cases. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan appointed Christian L. Reismeier to the civilian job last week. The Pentagon made an announcement on May 28. Reismeier is a one-star admiral who retired in 2015. Judgeship responsibilities have been carried out since early 2018 on an interim basis. Reismeier is taking over more than 15 years after the Defense Department named the first overseer of a tribunal system at “Gitmo” that was set up after the 9/11 attacks. No major Qaeda prosecution has yet to be carried out. The military commission’s most complex case is against five men accused of conspiring in the 9/11 attacks. No trial date has ever been set, seven years after President Obama approved proceeding with prosecution. (Source: New York Times 05/29/19)