On September 11, 2001, the United States fell under attack by al Qaeda terrorists. Shortly thereafter, President George W. Bush launched a counterattack and stood up the military commissions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hundreds of individuals were captured and eventually taken to Guantanamo, where they were held indefinitely as unlawful enemy combatants without any charges being levied against them. In November 2001, President Bush issued a Presidential Military Order which established the military commissions as the exclusive forum for trying detainees being held in the Global War on Terrorism. In addition to limiting jurisdiction to the commissions process, the order further prohibited the detainees and defense counsel from seeking any relief in United States courts, foreign courts, and any international tribunals. Honor Bound: Defending the Rule of Law takes readers inside the high-stakes legal battles that followed the September 11 attacks. General Sharon Shaffer shares her gripping firsthand account of defending one of the first Guantanamo Bay detainees charged in the Global War on Terrorism, challenging the Presidential Military Order that blocked access to U.S. courts. In 2003, she and four other defense counsel defied the President of the United States (their Commander-In-Chief) and violated his military order by filing an Amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court, arguing access for detainees to United States Courts. Shaffer also filed a Habeas petition on behalf of her client in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the unlawful establishment of military commissions. In Honor Bound, she describes the coercive tactics and torture her client endured and reveals the unquestionable actions by the prosecutor's office in destroying exculpatory evidence and confiscating attorney-client privileged material. Shaffer reveals the intense pressure placed on those who dared to question the government's unprecedented wartime system. Despite being labeled un-American and a traitor, Shaffer courageously stood for justice, ethics, and the rule of law - even when it meant defying her own Commander-In-Chief. Honor Bound is both a powerful memoir and an admonition: a reminder of how easily rights can be eroded and how essential it is to defend them. Shaffer battled every step of the military commissions on an international stage knowing that she would be ridiculed by many. The Foreword is written by Ellen D. Hatley and perfectly captures the spirit of the messages contained in the book. She notes, "I highly recommend reading this book, because it offers important perspectives and prompts shared reflection on what we can learn from the events at Guantanamo. Long after you have finished reading the last chapter, you will leave with a better understanding about what happened with Guantanamo detainees, with hope that such history will not be repeated." This book is a must read for anyone who lived through the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001. This book is a must read for any attorney who struggles with the ethics of representing unpopular causes or clients. This book also serves as a lesson for all, with the hope that we never have another Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Anyone seeking to understand the legal and moral lessons of Guantanamo will find this book deeply moving and impossible to forget.