A court in the US ruled last night that prisoners held at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba cannot challenge their detention through the civil courts system.
The ruling has been seen as a victory for the Bush administration.
Last year, the US Supreme Court ruled that the system for holding terrorist suspects at the base was unconstitutional.
This prompted the Bush administration to work with Congress to pass legislation last October which established separate military courts to deal with detainees.
This ruling, by the Federal Appeals Court in Washington, backed the new law by refusing to allow detainees to have their cases heard in civil courts in the US.
It closes off any possibility of legal action. However, lawyers representing detainees say they are considering a further appeal in the Supreme Court.
There are currently around 400 men still held at Guantanamo. Most have been there for over five years.
International bodies, including the UN, have called on the US to close the camp.
