The Justice Department on Friday sought a third extension for its response to a Guantanamo hunger striker’s lawsuit seeking release from detention while officials considered whether to stop fighting the case and potentially open another avenue for reducing the inmate population at the offshore prison President Barack Obama has pledged to shutter.

Tariq Ba Odah, a Yemeni who has been held without charge since 2002 and was cleared for transfer five years ago, has been on a hunger strike for more than eight years, and now weighs 74.5 pounds, or 56% of his ideal body weight, court papers say. His attorney, Omar Farah of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said Mr. Ba Odah is kept in isolation and force-fed daily. ...

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