Mike Lebowitz

Last updated
Mike Lebowitz
Born
Michael J. Lebowitz

(1977-08-21) August 21, 1977 (age 47)
Alma mater Kent State University
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
OccupationAttorney
Military career
Service / branchU.S. Army 101st Airborne Division
Years of service2005-2006

Michael J. Lebowitz (born August 21, 1977) is a Washington, D.C., attorney and expert in the field of military law and Military Expression. Along with being an advocate for veterans' issues, he has published a number of legal articles on First Amendment issues pertaining to the military as well as the field of national security and war crimes. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] In 2009, he became a prosecutor in the Military Commission for the terrorism and war crimes suspects detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Contents

Background

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Lebowitz has a journalism degree from Kent State University (1999) and a Juris Doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law (2003). [11] In 2005–2006, he served in Iraq as a Pathfinder with the 101st Airborne Division, where he helped capture foreign fighters. [12] After returning from Iraq, he began advocating on behalf of military families and veterans. Lebowitz continues to serve as a military lawyer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the Virginia National Guard.

Military law

Lebowitz is an attorney in the field of military law and specializes in military free speech where he served as defense counsel in a number of cases where uniformed personnel faced discipline for speech-related activities. [13] [14] Lebowitz has worked on trials involving military freedom and expression. [15] He lectures on the subject and is asked to serve as a media resource on the impact technology continues to play in the field of military free speech. [16] More recently, he has written on the subject of war crimes and national security, and has served as a war crimes prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Political activities

Lebowitz is a founder of the Modern Whig Party, an organization originally created in 2008 as an advocacy forum for military families and veterans. This centrist organization professes to offer common-sense approaches to government, rather than ideology. [17] In March 2010, the Modern Whig Party was named by Time as among the "top 10 most popular political movements worldwide". [18] Since 2009, Lebowitz ceased activity with the organization upon entering government service.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibrahim al Qosi</span> Sudanese al-Qaeda member

Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi is a Sudanese militant and paymaster for al-Qaeda. Qosi was held from January 2002 in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number is 54.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Ghailani</span> Islamist terrorist; member of al-Qaeda (born 1974)

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is a Tanzanian conspirator of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization convicted for his role in the bombing of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was indicted in the United States as a participant in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. He was on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list from its inception in October 2001. In 2004, he was captured and detained by Pakistani forces in a joint operation with the United States, and was held until June 9, 2009, at Guantanamo Bay detention camp; one of 14 Guantanamo detainees who had previously been held at secret locations abroad. According to The Washington Post, Ghailani told military officers he is contrite and claimed to be an exploited victim of al-Qaeda operatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustafa al-Hawsawi</span> Saudi Arabian terrorist

Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi is a Saudi Arabian citizen. He is alleged to have acted as a key financial facilitator for the September 11 attacks in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri</span> Alleged al-Qaeda mastermind

Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu al-Nashiri is a Saudi Arabian citizen alleged to be the mastermind of the bombing of USS Cole and other maritime attacks. He is alleged to have headed al-Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf states prior to his capture in November 2002 by the CIA's Special Activities Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salim Hamdan</span> Guantanamo detainee

Salim Ahmed Salim Hamdan is a Yemeni man, captured during the invasion of Afghanistan, declared by the United States government to be an illegal enemy combatant and held as a detainee at Guantanamo Bay from 2002 to November 2008. He admits to being Osama bin Laden's personal driver and said he needed the money.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Zahir (Guantanamo Bay detainee 753)</span>

Abdul Zahir is a citizen of Afghanistan, who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba. He was the tenth captive, and the first Afghan, to face charges before the first Presidentially authorized Guantanamo military commissions. After the US Supreme Court ruled that the President lacked the constitutional authority to set up military commissions, the United States Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006. He was not charged under that system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guantanamo Bay detention camp</span> United States military prison in southeastern Cuba

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO, GITMO, or just Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in January 2002 by U.S. President George W. Bush to hold terrorism suspects and "illegal enemy combatants" during the Global War on Terrorism following the attacks of September 11, 2001. As of August 2024, at least 780 persons from 48 countries have been detained at the camp since its creation, of whom 740 had been transferred elsewhere, 9 died in custody, and 30 remain; only 16 detainees have ever been charged by the U.S. with criminal offenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faiz Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari</span> Kuwaiti citizen (born 1975)

Faiz Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari is a Kuwaiti citizen who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States' Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba, from 2002 to 2016. He has never been charged with war crimes.

Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri was a citizen of Saudi Arabia, held in extrajudicial detention as an enemy combatant in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.

Abd al-Salam al-Hilah is a citizen of Yemen, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali al-Bahlul</span> Al Qaeda operative

Ali Hamza Ahmad Suliman al-Bahlul is a Yemeni citizen who has been held as an enemy combatant since 2002 in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He boycotted the Guantanamo Military Commissions, arguing that there was no legal basis for the military tribunals to judge him.

Colby Vokey is an American lawyer and former officer in the United States Marine Corps. He currently practices criminal defense law in his own private practice. He represents clients in all types of criminal matters, with particular emphasis on cases involving military law. Vokey earned the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps during 21 years of service to his country. His retirement from the Marine Corps became effective November 1, 2008. During his military career, Vokey earned worldwide praise for his work ethic and integrity, based in part on his work for defendants detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who faced charges stemming from the war in Iraq.

Ralph Harold Kohlmann is an American lawyer and retired United States Marine Corps officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James L. Pohl</span> American lawyer

Colonel James L. Pohl is an American lawyer and officer in the United States Army.

Military expression is an area of military law pertaining to the United States military that relates to the free speech rights of its service members. While "military free speech" was the term used during the Vietnam War era, "military expression" has become a niche area of military law since 2001. Besides media references relating to specific cases, the term was used at military whistleblower committee hearings with members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate on May 14, 2008. Transcripts of the hearings show that attorney Mike Lebowitz was identified as testifying as a legal expert in "military expression". That hearing also included references by U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) who also referred to the area of law as "military expression".

Eric Montalvo is an American lawyer who retired after 21 years of active duty service from the United States Marine Corps as a "Mustang" Major and JAG officer.

A number of incidents stemming from the September 11 attacks have raised questions about legality.

Vincent Iacopino is an American doctor, who has specialized in the after-effects of torture. He is the author or co-author of several books on torture, or that address topics related to torture. He came up with the idea of the Istanbul Protocol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Gill (lawyer)</span>

Stephen D. Gill is an American lawyer, from Massachusetts, and a retired United States Naval Reserve officer.

References

  1. "Antiwar to the Corps". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  2. 1 2 Terrorist Speech: Detained Propagandists and the Issue of Extraterritorial Application of the First Amendment https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=9+First+Amend.+L.+Rev.+573&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=1bd35066d1029163f2596c5b602da16b
  3. 1 2 Lebowitz, Michael J. (2011). "Anti-war & Anti-Gitmo: Military Expression and the Dilemma of Licensed Professionals in Uniform" (PDF). Journal of International Law. 43 (3): 579–602. ISSN   0008-7254. OCLC   774260546.
  4. 1 2 The Cyber-Enemy: Using the Military Justice System to Prosecute Organized Computer Attackers http://illinoisjltp.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Lebowitz.pdf
  5. 1 2 Lebowitz, Michael J. (2010). "The Value of Claiming Torture: An Analysis of al Qaeda's Tactical Lawfare Strategy and Efforts to Fight Back" (PDF). Journal of International Law. 43 (1–2): 357–393. ISSN   0008-7254. OCLC   775376693.
  6. 1 2 A Question of Allegiance: Choosing Between Dueling Versions of ‘Aiding the Enemy’ During War Crimes Prosecution http://www.afjag.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-111121-039.pdf Archived 2013-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
  7. 1 2 Detailing Memorandum United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, et al http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2012/04/17/10/57/1174fl.So.56.pdf
  8. 1 2 About the 9/11 War Crimes Trial http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/02/27/v-fullstory/436366/about-the-911-war-crimes-trial.html
  9. 1 2 CBS News https://web.archive.org/web/20121020135535/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57536137/navy-to-go-after-rats-mold-in-gitmo-legal-offices/. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. United States v. Nashiri charge sheet http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2011/04/20/16/nashiri.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf
  11. Stephen Koff, "Marines Muzzle Protester", Honolulu Star-Bulletin (June 1, 2007), Section C, p. 9.
  12. Facebook Face-Off, Military Times http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20091208/OFFDUTY02/912080302/Facebook-face-off Archived 2013-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "Zip it, Soldier!" Mother Jones [ dead link ]
  14. "Antiwar to the Corps: Marine Reservist-Protesters Face Discipline", by David Montgomery. Washington Post May 31, 2007; Page C01.
  15. "Facebook face-off | Military Times | militarytimes.com". Archived from the original on 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
  16. "The Rise and Fall of a Military Blogger", Army Times
  17. "KRMS News-Talk 1150 Morning Magazine interview, February 6, 2009".
  18. Silver, Alexandra (2010-03-29). "The Modern Whig Party - Top 10 Alternative Political Movements". TIME. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010. Retrieved 2012-07-22.