California Yankee gives the details of what is known about a secret case pending before the Supreme Court. What is extraordinary is not that details of the case of an Algerian man detained after September 11 are being kept secret, but that even the existence of the case is supposed to be secret. It seems very strange to me, especially if I read the details correctly, it sounds as if the guy has been released on bond. If everything was so top secret, couldn't he be blabbing away? I hate to second guess the Justice Department in what is such a difficult task of trying to preserve liberties while keeping us safe. Perhaps, they're trying to preserve the precedent for other cases. Who knows how many of such cases there are out there? I second California Yankee's conclusion.

I have no sympathy for Bellahouel, if he is in fact in the U.S illegally. I am extremely concerned, however, about the degree and manner in which the government and the courts have kept the very existence of the case from us.