American courts have dealt a double blow to US President George W Bush's war on terror, with rulings that his administration was abusing the rights of detainees.
The San Francisco Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals made a 2-1 decision that said the 660 inmates at the US detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be allowed access to lawyers and the court system.
Most were captured in Afghanistan when the United States toppled the Taliban regime.
"Even in times of national emergency... it is the obligation of the judicial branch to ensure the preservation of our constitutional values and to prevent the executive branch from running roughshod over the rights of citizens and aliens alike," the court said.
The ruling was issued in a case filed by Belaid Gherebi on behalf of his brother, Faren, a Libyan who is being held at Guantanamo.
A New York appeals court ruled that an American, Jose Padilla, suspected of involvement in an Al Qaeda plot, could not be held as an enemy combatant. It ordered his release within 30 days.
Jose Padilla is suspected of plotting with al Qaeda to carry out a radioactive bomb attack on the US soil. He has been held without charge since June last year.
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