WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Supreme Court made several important rulings Monday, including one affecting an alleged "dirty bomb" suspect with South Florida ties.

The high court refused to hear a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jose Padilla, the man arrested two years ago, accused of plotting with al-Qaida to blow up American apartment buildings. Padilla (pictured, left), an American citizen, is accused in the alleged plot to set off a so-called "dirty bomb" that can spread radioactive material.

The justices ruled that the lawsuit improperly named Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld instead of the Navy officer in charge of the Navy prison in South Carolina where Padilla has been held for the past two years.

The court also ruled that the federal government may hold potential terrorists without handing down charges or taking them to trial. But the high court ruled that detainees can challenge their imprisonment in federal court.

The Supreme Court also ruled that detainees held for more than two years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba may challenge their imprisonment.