..."In 2001, it was basically just Michael Ratner running around waving a writ of habeas corpus. We couldn't find even find local legal counsel in some cases," said Baher Azmy, the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, referring to the group's late president, who died last year. "Now, as a result of the Bush Administration, there's a whole well-resourced consortium of organizations geared up and ready to fight."

Azmy also noted that courts today, 16 years removed from 9/11, may be less amenable to the government's arguments that restrictive programs on, say Muslims entering the United States, are necessary.

"Everyone feels like democracy is on the line and we're not going to down without fighting," Azmy added. ...

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