"A Conversation with the Chief Prosecutor of U.S. Military Commissions" -- Brigadier General Mark Martins

As part of its "Military Policy -- At Home and Abroad" thematic lecture series, the Woodrow Wilson School will host Brigadier General Mark Martins, chief prosecutor for the United States in cases alleging violations of the law of war and the lead trial counsel in the prosecution of Khaldi Sheikh Mohammad and four other accused perpetrators of the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Cosponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School, the Center for International Security Studies (CISS), and the Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA).

Martins will outline major provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2009--which reformed a system much criticized when established in 2001 by presidential order--and will address the due process protections, constitutional authority, established sources of law, narrowness of jurisdiction, oversight by United States federal civilian courts, compliance with international legal obligations, public trial requirements, and transparency measures that characterize the reformed military commissions. Martins will also address continuing challenges to the reformed system's legitimacy, suggest what will be necessary to surmount perceptions of "victor's justice," and offer thoughts on the future of efforts to hold al Qaeda and associated forces accountable under law.