Washington, D.C. ? The first war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay can begin Monday, a federal judge ruled, saying civilian courts should let the military process play out as Congress intended.

The decision is a victory for the Bush administration, which plans to use military commissions to prosecute terrorism suspects, including those charged in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Had the trial been delayed, it would have been a sign that the entire process might crumble under the weight of judicial scrutiny.

But U.S. District Judge James Robertson on Thursday rejected an effort by Osama bin Laden’s former driver, Salim Hamdan, to postpone his trial. Hamdan argued he would suffer irreparable harm if he were prosecuted before he could challenge the legality of the process.

Hamdan hoped to capitalize on last month’s Supreme Court ruling, which said Guantanamo Bay prisoners can challenge their detention in federal court. He said that ruling meant he couldn’t go to trial until he’s had the opportunity to argue that he isn’t an enemy combatant.

If courts held that to be the case, every detainee at the U.S. naval base in Cuba could have used court challenges to delay his trial for months or years.