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Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power | Jonathan Mahler | Talks at Google

2,112 views · Published 26 September 2008 · 45:26 · Indexed 31 October 2026

Channel: Talks at Google · 2008 · News & Politics

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Jonathan Mahler visits Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss his new book, "The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power." This event took place September 16, 2008 as part of the Authors@Google series. 

An inspiring legal thriller set against the backdrop of the war on terror, The Challenge tells the inside story of a historic Supreme Court showdown. At its center are a Navy JAG and a young constitutional law professor who, in the aftermath of 9/11, find themselves defending their nation in the unlikeliest of ways: by suing the president of the United States on behalf of an accused terrorist in order to prevent the American government from breaking the law and violating the Constitution.  

Mahler traces the journey of their client, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, from the Yemeni mosque where he was first recruited for jihad in 1998, through his years working as a driver for Osama bin Laden, to his capture in Afghanistan in November 2001 and his subsequent transfer to Guantanamo Bay. More information at http://thechallengethebook.com.

Jonathan Mahler, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, is the author of Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning.

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