Charles Swift

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Charles D. Swift
Born 1961

Charles D. Swift is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps and Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. He is assigned to the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions and is most famous for having served as defense counsel for Salim Ahmed Hamdan.[1] Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden captured during the invasion of Afghanistan, was charged in July 2004 with conspiracy to commit terrorism.[2] As Hamdan's legal counsel, Swift, together with the Seattle law firm of Perkins Coie and Georgetown Law Professor Neal Katyal, appealed Hamdan's writ of habeas corpus petition to the U. S. Supreme Court. In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. , 126 S.Ct. 2749 (2006), the justices ultimately held that the military commission to try Salim Hamdan was illegal and violated the Geneva Conventions as well as the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).[3][4] Ultimately, Swift was passed over for promotion and will have to retire under the military's "up or out" promotion system.[5][6] Swift stated he learned of being passed over two weeks after the Supreme Court decided in Hamdan's favor.[6]

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[edit] Background

Born in 1961, Charles Swift is a native of Franklin, North Carolina. Following his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984, Swift served in a variety of surface warfare billets as described in the below table. In 1991, he left active service to attend Seattle University Law School, where he graduated cum laude. Resuming active service in 1994, he affiliated with the navy’s Judge Advocate General's Corps (1994-present). In 1999, LCDR Swift received a Master of Law Degree in litigation with high honors from Temple University through a scholarship from the U.S Navy Judge Advocate General. A comprehensive biography can be found here (website for the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy, different from LCDR Swift's commissioning source). Recently, Swift joined Emory Law as a Visiting Associate Professor and Acting Director of Emory Law's newly established International Humanitarian Law Clinic.[7]

Summary of LCDR Swift's assignments:

Years Assignments
1985-1987 USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3), Agana, Guam: Damage Control Assistant
1988-1990 USS Rathburne (FF-1057), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: Navigator
1990-1991 Surface Warfare Department Head School, Newport, Rhode Island: Assistant for International Training
1995-1997 Naval Legal Service Office Northwest
1997-2000 Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
2000-2003 Naval Legal Service Detachment, Mayport, FL
2003-2005 [[Office of Military Commissions; The US Navy lawyer who successfully represented the plaintiff Guantanamo detainee in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld [JURIST news archive] and took his case all the way to the US Supreme Court has been denied a promotion and will leave the military by spring, the Miami Herald reports. Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift [profile], who has worked in the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions [official website] since 2003, said he learned about two weeks after the Hamdan decision that he would not receive a promotion to commander.]]

[edit] Accolades

Swift was the subject of a brief biographical article in the December 2004 issue of Esquire.[8] In December 2005 he was chosen as runner-up Lawyer of the Year by the National Law Journal for his challenge to the Guantanamo review tribunals. In June 2006, the National Law Journal also named Swift as one of "The 100 most influential lawyers in America."[9]

LCDR Swift's decorations and medals include [10]:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Navigating an odyssey to Guantánamo Bay, National Law Journal, December 2005
  2. ^ Charge Sheets for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Department of Defense
  3. ^ "US court rejects Guantanamo trial", BBC News. 
  4. ^ Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States.
  5. ^ Hamdan Navy lawyer denied promotion, will leave US military, JURIST, October 10, 2006
  6. ^ a b Lawyer is denied promotion: Passed over for Navy promotion, a Guantánamo lawyer who has served with distinction says he will defend Osama bin Laden's driver in civilian life once he leaves military service, Miami Herald, October 8, 2006
  7. ^ Faculty Profile of Charles D. Swift (HTML). Emory University School of Law. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
  8. ^ BEST & BRIGHTEST 2004: Charles Swift, Esquire, December 2004
  9. ^ The 100 most influential lawyers in America, National Law Journal
  10. ^ Biography, United States Navy, Lieutenant Commander Charles D. Swift, Association of Graduates of the USMA

[edit] External links

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