Charles Swift

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Charles D. Swift
Image:CharlesDSwift.jpg Image Pending aproval of copyright holder (requested 11/20)
Born	1962

1 Background
2 Accolades
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Charles D. Swift is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps. He is assigned to the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions and is most famous for having served as defense counsel for Salim Ahmed Hamdan.^[1] Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden captured during the invasion of Afghanistan, was charged in July 2004 with conspiracy to commit terrorism.^[2] As Hamdan's legal counsel, Swift together with Neal Katyal, appealed Hamdan's writ of habeas corpus petition to the U. S. Supreme Court. In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. , 126 S.Ct. 2749 (2006), the justices ultimately held that the military commission to try Salim Hamdan was illegal and violated the Geneva Conventions as well as the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).^[3]^[4] Prior to^[5] his successful appeal in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Swift was passed over for promotion and will have to retire under the military's "up or out" promotion system.^[6]^[7] Swift stated he learned of being passed over two weeks after the Supreme Court decided in Hamdan's favor (partially because of the long delay in releasing selection board results).^[7]

[edit] Background

Born in 1962, Charles Swift is a native of Franklin, North Carolina. Following his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984, Swift served in a variety of surface warfare billets as described in the below table. In 1991, he left active service to attend Seattle University Law School, where he graduated cum laude. Resuming active service in 1994, he affiliated with the navy’s Judge Advocate General's Corps (1994-present). A comprehensive biography can be found here (website for the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy, different from LCDR Swift's comissioning source).

Summary of LCDR Swift's assignments:

Years	Assignments
1985-1987	USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3), Agana, Guam: Damage Control Asisstant
1988-1990	USS Rathburne (FF-1057), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: Navigator
1990-1991	Surface Warfare Department Head School, Newport, Rhode Island: Assistant for International Training
1995-1997	Naval Legal Service Office Northwest
1997-2000	Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
2000-2003	Naval Legal Service Detachment, Mayport, FL
2003-present	Office of Military Commissions

[edit] Accolades

Swift was the subject of a brief biographical article in the December 2004 issue of Esquire.^[8] In December 2005 he was chosen as runner-up Lawyer of the Year by the National Law Journal for his challenge to the Guantanamo review tribunals. In June 2006, the National Law Journal also named Swift as one of "The 100 most influential lawyers in America."^[9]

LCDR Swift's decorations and medals include ^[10]: