2006年VOA标准英语-US Supreme Court Rebuffs Appeal from Terro

By Jim Malone
Washington
03 April 2006

One-time enemy combatant Jose Padilla suffered a legal setback¹ at the U.S. Supreme² Court Monday. But the high court refused to take a position on the central question in the case, whether President Bush has the power to order Americans captured in the war on terror held indefinitely without trial.

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Jose Padilla, center, is escorted to waiting police vechicle by federal marshals   
  

By a vote of six to three, the Supreme Court decided³ not to hear an appeal from Jose Padilla challenging the three years he was held as an enemy combatant in the war on terror.

Padilla is a former Chicago gang member arrested in 2002 in connection with an alleged⁴ radiological bomb plot.

He was held as an enemy combatant without charge for three years until he was transferred from military to civilian⁵ custody⁶ last year and charged with being part of a North American terror cell.

Monday's Supreme Court ruling rejected Padilla's appeal to consider whether President Bush has the power to indefinitely detain American citizens suspected of terrorism.

In effect, six of the nine Supreme Court justices sidestepped the case on technical grounds, disappointing Padilla's lawyer, Donna Newman.

"It is time for Congress to act and make the parameters⁷ and limitations that we have asked for because we think it is very important for the American people," she said.

Legal observers say the court will have to tackle the central question in the case another day.

Eric Holder⁸ was a deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration.

"This is one of those consequential⁹ decisions or potentially consequential decisions that really go to the heart of presidential power," he said, "and it is the kind of precedent¹⁰ setting decision that I think the Supreme Court should render an opinion on and I think it is very unfortunate that the court has decided not to take this case."

The Bush administration argued that the appeal was moot¹¹ because Padilla is no longer being held as an enemy combatant.

The administration has said it had the power to detain Padilla since his arrest in 2002 as part of its overall legal strategy in fighting the war on terror.

"We are dealing¹² with a new kind of threat, a new kind of enemy and that has required new thinking and new strategies by the administration," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said.

Padilla has pleaded innocent to the new terror charges in Florida and will go on trial later this year. The previous charges about his alleged involvement in a so called dirty bomb plot are not included in the current set of criminal charges.

1 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 parameters   

因素，特征； 界限； （限定性的）因素( parameter的名词复数 )； 参量； 参项； 决定因素

参考例句：

• We have to work within the parameters of time. 我们的工作受时间所限。
• See parameters.cpp for a compilable example. This is part of the Spirit distribution. 可编译例子见parameters.cpp.这是Spirit分发包的组成部分。

8 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

9 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

10 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

11 moot   

v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会

参考例句：

• The question mooted in the board meeting is still a moot point.那个在董事会上提出讨论的问题仍未决的。
• The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.石油和核能之间的关系还很有争议。

12 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。