CNN.com - Americans may be held as 'enemy combatants,' appeals court rules

A federal appeals court Wednesday ruled President Bush has the authority to designate U.S. citizens as "enemy combatants" and detain them in military custody if they are deemed a threat to national security.

The federal appeals court in Richmond is widely viewed as among the most conservative in the nation, and has generally supported the government's lawyers during a series of disputes in the Hamdi case.

There are disputes about Yaser Hamdi, he was not captured by US forces and reportedly says he was never a soldier.