Abdullah al-Kidd was held for 16 days as a material witness . The case against him is based on the testimony of two former Guantanamo Bay detainees who were released in exchange for information about other detainees. Previous lawsuits by a variety of civil liberty and human rights groups naming Ashcroft and other top Bush officials -- including Vice President Dick Cheney , Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld , and FBI Director Robert Mueller -- have almost unanimously been tossed out by federal courts on immunity grounds . The justices appear split along conservative-liberal lines .
Abdullah al-Kidd was held for 16 days as a material witness . The case against him is based on the testimony of two former Guantanamo Bay detainees who were released in exchange for information about other detainees. The justices appear split along conservative-liberal lines .