Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' decision to step down comes months after critics began calling for his resignation over the firing of U.S. attorneys. But Gonzales was also a central figure in the development of controversial Bush administration policies — including those on the treatment of prisoners and on domestic surveillance. Among his areas of influence:
Enemy Combatants: Gonzales developed the policy allowing the indefinite detention of American citizens deemed to be enemy combatants, without charge or access to counsel or the court system.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2007, Gonzales asserted that the U.S. Constitution does not offer an "express grant" of habeas corpus — the right to challenge one's imprisonment in federal court. It's an ancient concept, first recognized in medieval England and considered a basic protection of human liberties.
"The Constitution doesn't say every individual in the United States, or every citizen, is hereby granted or assured the right to habeas," Gonzales said.
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