A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Defense Department was in contempt of court for failing to videotape the testimony of a Guantanamo Bay detainee who is challenging his detention in court.

U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler had ordered the government to videotape Mohammed Al-Adahi, 47, when he testified June 23 via a secure video link from the prison in Cuba to her courtroom in Washington. Like scores of detainees, Adahi is contesting his confinement through federal lawsuits under the centuries-old legal doctrine of habeas corpus.