U.S. may soften stance on Guantanamo

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The Bush administration is considering a new procedure for Guantanamo detainees, including hearings before U.S. judges, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Administration officials, who had insisted for years that only the military could decide on detainee release, now fear an adverse U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case challenging detention at Guantanamo. Reducing the number of inmates at Guantanamo would also allow the detention center to be closed.

Congress would have to authorize a detention center in the United States and the indefinite detention of those deemed to be dangerous.

"These are dangerous men," said Sandra Hodgkinson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs. "There has to be an appropriate way of handling that."

In the latest Supreme Court case, Guantanamo inmates argue that they should have the right to challenge detentions in federal court.