Jun 29, 2007

Draft lawyers into the military

From the NYT: "The United States Supreme Court reversed course today and agreed to hear claims of Guantanamo detainees that they have a right to challenge their detentions in American federal courts."

If terrorists are granted access to U.S. criminal courts then the military is going to need a lot more lawyers. Congress, therefore, should pass a law holding that if terrorists are granted court access then lawyers will be drafted into the military. My suspicion is that such a law would influence the young Supreme Court law clerks who actually write many of the court's opinions.

I think that in past wars doctors were subject to longer military service under the draft than other Americans were because the military had such a huge need for lawyers. So if the lawyers on the Supreme Court rule in such a way that the military now has a tremendous need for lawyers, then it seems only just that lawyers be subject to a special draft. I realize that with more lawyers in the military there would be fewer to work as lobbyists and tort lawyers, but somehow I suspect our economy would still prosper.