George Brent Mickum IV

Who is George Brent Mickum IV?

George Brent Mickum IV is an American lawyer with the Washington DC law firm Hollingsworth LLP. Mickum represented three British residents, Bisher Al Rawi, Jamil El Banna, and Martin Mubanga in El Banna v. Bush. The three were captured in Africa, held first in CIA custody, then transported to the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.

Before entering private practice, Mickum worked as a trial attorney for the Federal Trade Commission. He also worked as a special assistant U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice and as the senior investigative counsel for the Senate Special Committee on Investigations.

When the United States Supreme Court forced the Department of Defense to provide an opportunity for captives to learn why they were being held, they designed administrative procedures called "Combatant Status Review Tribunals". The Guardian quoted Mickum's advice to his clients that they decline to participate:

On January 12, 2005, The Guardian published an article by Mickum, where he described one of his clients, Bisher Al Rawi, being punished for trying to forward the names of other Guantanamo captives who wanted habeas corpus petitions submitted on their behalf.