Driving the news: Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama set June 5, 2028, as the start date for the military commission trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Schrama rejected prosecutors' proposed January 2027 date. He called it 'incompatible' with pretrial litigation.
By the numbers: - Mohammed was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 - Charged in 2008 - Held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006 - The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people
The big picture: Mohammed faces charges alongside three co-defendants — Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi. Charges include conspiracy, hijacking and murder. A plea deal that would have spared Mohammed the death penalty was previously thrown out.
Between the lines: His defense has argued the delays stem from the government's reluctance to expose details of CIA black-site detention. A 2014 Senate report found Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times.
The bottom line: Justice delayed is justice denied — and 27 years is an indictment of the system, not just the defendant. Families of nearly 3,000 victims deserve a verdict, not another scheduling order. The military commissions process has become a procedural labyrinth. Whatever one thinks of Guantanamo, the case for closing it without first delivering accountability grows harder to make with every postponement.