Government definitions of enemy combatant expanded far beyond the Supreme Court’s standard

Evidence

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor defined “enemy combatant” as someone “carrying a weapon against American troops on a foreign battlefield.” The U.S. Department of Defense used a broader definition: “anyone part of or supporting Taliban or Al Qaeda forces or associated forces.” … President Bush signed an order in 2002 to legalize the suspension of rights for persons under the category “enemy combatants.” — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1605

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to legal categories and civil liberties debates in post-9/11 detention scholarship; also relevant to how administrative categories shape legal outcomes.