Lynne Stewart is the firebrand criminal defense attorney from New York City who represented notorious clients in her career including Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind cleric who was convicted of conspiring to blow up NYC landmarks pre-9/11. Stewart crossed the line in her representation of Rahman when she smuggled messages from him in his isolation cell to his violent followers in Egypt. Stewart was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to ten years. Now three years in her sentence, she is 73 years old and dying of breast cancer in a prison hospital in Texas. The warden approved her release on humanistic grounds, but the Bureau Of Prisons overrode the warden's recommendation. Stewart's attorney has now taken her case to the judge who sentenced her- John G. Koeltl who is holding hearings this week. The NY Times coverage is here.
Enough is enough. Stewart has been disbarred. She cannot visit clients anymore. She is 73 and dying. Release her and let her die in peace.
The State of California has been forced by a District Court to release 10,000 inmates. The State sought a stay. The Supreme Court denied the stay and Scalia went a little nutty (the heat would be getting to him if he believed in global warming.). If you read the opinion you will recall this case has been before the Supreme Court before, with Scalia dissenting then as well.
The new histrionic dissent is here, with barbed references to Judges playing poker and bluffing each other, threats to the civil well being of California burgs who are about to have havoc released among their peaceful citizens, and bitter complaints about judges legislating from the bench (which he labels an expansion of "the power of the back robe".) It's worth a read.
See you in court.
No sympathy for her, anymore than the terrorist scum who attacked this country (and who were aided by her treasonous actions) had sympathy for their victims.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with 5:57. There are many more people in jail I'd free before her. Her actions could have led to something similar to the Boston Marathon bombing. She knew or should have known that innocent people could have been the victims of terrorism thanks to her deeds.
ReplyDeleteFree her? I'd say put her one cell closer to hell so that taxpayers have to pay less for the ride.
She deserves her fate
ReplyDeleteEveryone is dying. Some are dying faster than others.
ReplyDeleteShould we let them all out? Do we draw the line at traitors, or are serial killers OK too? Is Manson feeling well?
Get a hold of your emotions Rumpole.
ReplyDeleteCasting for the new "Hillary" mini-series: young Hugh Rodham--Johnny "Football" Manziel; old Hugh Rodham--Oliver Platt (because Orsen Wells is unavailable).
ReplyDeleteRump, you minimize Stewart's treachery pre-911. The blind sheik's fatwa against American civilians was the justification the 911 conspirators sought and needed before they launched their attacks. Stewart smuggled the fatwa out to the sheik's confederates, and the rest is history.
ReplyDeleteBurning in hell after a slow, miserable death in prison is getting off easy.
Rump,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to disagree as well. I have represented some pretty bad people in my time. I never judged them for their actions. I always saw my job as to make sure their due process rights are protected. But for a lawyer to become an agent of a terrorist and pass along information to their followers who are plotting attacks on Americans, that is simply treasonous. Send her to some minimum security prison where her family can be at her side, but she forfeited her right to die a dignified death.
I couldn't care less about her dying "in peace." For all she knew, her actions jeopardized the lives of totally innocent people. You think the terrorists she was aiding worried about them dying in peace?
ReplyDelete10 years is a gift. Too bad the traitor won't live long enough to serve the entire term.
No excuses for working with terrorists and no mercy.
BTDT
It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant people are. Stewart's case had nothing to do with violence in the US or against Americans but had to do with a cease fire agreement in Egypt. Still criminal and still bad, but get your facts straight.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I like about today? There are legitimately two sides to this issue being discussed rationally for the most part. Wow.
ReplyDeleteLet me end that now - she is no different than a true believer 1st year PD who fucked up. Let her out.
ReplyDeleteMayors Moroño and Pizzi go down in FBI bribery sting. These two guys are eye-ball deep in judicial politics every election.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm sure their wrongdoing, if any, was limited only to the sting.
Certainly they won't start dropping dimes on other public officials and election "consultants" in an effort to lessen their own consequences.
Nah. That would never happen.
I don't know about real lawyers and stuff...
ReplyDeletebut I see dead people
and I speak with made-up people, so I'll find out
What was in the message she passed- was it " hey family, I am doing well and I miss you" or " go blow up another place"?
ReplyDeleteWhy let her out and not other convicted criminals? Because she is a woman? a lawyer? old? ill? Plenty of people like that behid bars and no one is clammoring for them. When did the standard become: ehhhh she just made a mistake and I doubt she'll hurt anyone outside prison?
ReplyDeleteI was out last night with an older lawyer and we picked up some mo-dels and he wanted to take them to a club and there was a line and then he gave some money to one of the guys running the line. He said it cost a "fufchick" and I'm just wondering how much that really is.
ReplyDeleteA "fufchick" is the amount that it costs to f uf a chick.
ReplyDeleteAccording to expert kenny weisman its 50
ReplyDeleteOutfitting a new boat after settling a whopper of a civil case. So boat owners- Merc Verado twin 250's or twin Yamaha 225's?
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, 7:25, what hull?
ReplyDelete32 cat
ReplyDeleteNot one ounce of sympathy from this true believer.
ReplyDelete