When Charles Swift, a lieutenant commander in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, was assigned as a defense counsel in the case against Salin Ahmed Hamdan, he didn’t pressure his client to plead guilty. Hamdan was captured during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and charged in 2004 with conspiracy to commit terrorism for his role as a former driver for Osama bin Laden. Instead, Swift filed a habeas corpus action on Hamdan’s behalf challenging his detention at Guantanamo Bay and the constitutionality of his trial before a military commission. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled the military commission held to try Hamdan violated the Geneva Convention. Shortly after the court ruled on Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Swift was passed over for a promotion for the second time and forced to retire under the military’s “up or out” promotion system. Hear former JAG attorney Swift talk about this case and related issues when he delivers a talk titled, “The Rule of Law in the War on Terrorism,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in Grewen Auditorium at Le Moyne College. The lecture is free and open to the public; [email protected] or 445-4490 for information.