The U.S. Army’s case against Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, which has been pending since December, can now proceed. Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for five years before returning to the U.S., thanks to a controversial trade for five Taliban officials held at Guantánamo, is facing a court martial that could land him in prison for life. His trial has proceeded haltingly, but on Sunday, a military-appeals court ruled that Bergdahl’s lawyers should have access to classified information when preparing his defense, Reuters reports. Of course, the ruling could refer to classified military information, but Bergdahl’s defense might also use the ruling to access his Coast Guard medical records, which — according to Sarah Koenig’s Serial — might show that Army officials did an inadequate job of screening him for active duty.
