Staff Reports
A military judge has done something rare in this long, messy case: he put a real date on the calendar. Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama issued a Ruling and Trial Scheduling Order that sets a tentative start for the Guantánamo military-commissions proceedings against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co‑defendants to begin assembly and empanelment on June 5, 2028. This is the first concrete schedule that gives victims, the public, and the government a timeline to watch — and yes, it’s conditional.
Judge sets tentative June 5, 2028 trial date
The order — filed as the trial scheduling order AE 989BB — lays out milestone deadlines and a phased plan: empanelment on June 5, 2028, opening statements roughly 30 days later, then the prosecution’s case with windows for defense motions. The judge threw out the prosecution’s push for a January 11, 2027 start as unrealistic. So the calendar now shows one clear date: June 5, 2028.
Who’s on the docket and who isn’t
The four men covered by this scheduling order are Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Ammar al‑Baluchi (Ali Abdul Aziz Ali), and Mustafa al‑Hawsawi. One original co‑defendant, Ramzi bin al‑Shibh, was severed after being found incompetent to stand trial. That severance is another reminder that this isn’t a one-act play; it’s been a decade-plus legal marathon with many loose ends.
Why the date is deliberately conditional
Don’t confuse “scheduled” with “set in stone.” The judge made clear the timeline assumes completion of other trial conduct orders and key legal rulings — especially the suppression fight over statements allegedly tainted by prior CIA detention and so‑called enhanced interrogation. If those appeals or other pretrial disputes aren’t resolved in a way that lets the milestones be met, the June 2028 plan can and likely will slip.
Enough delays — time to finish the job
Here’s the blunt truth: nearly 25 years after 9/11, Americans deserve closure. Victims’ families deserve a fair, speedy trial that follows the law and protects classified sources when necessary, not endless procedural stall tactics. The scheduling order is a step in the right direction — a real calendar that can be enforced. Now courts, prosecutors, and yes, defense teams must stop using delay as a strategy and let the wheels of justice run. June 5, 2028 isn’t a victory yet, but it’s a deadline worth holding everyone to — or at least trying to.
