A setback for the Rumpled Academic. From the Tampa Tribune, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
TAMPA - A federal judge rejected defense requests for a mistrial Wednesday in the terror-support trial of former University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian and three other men. Defense attorneys made the requests after disclosures Monday that a juror had made comments about the case in front of other jurors. Two jurors questioned separately by U.S. District Judge James Moody said they heard a man who sits behind them make comments aloud in the jury box. One also indicated the man made comments to two other jurors.On Wednesday, defense attorneys renewed complaints lodged during jury selection that intense, long-standing publicity surrounding the case made it difficult to seat a fair jury in Tampa. The juror in question wrote on an initial screening form that he read The Tampa Tribune daily.
Defense attorneys blame the Tribune's coverage of Al-Arian for tainting the jury pool.
``Can this jury, under the circumstances we now know, be fair to Dr. Al-Arian?'' asked attorney William Moffitt.
Good. The European judiciary must watch and learn, if it doesn't want terror suspects walking freely down the streets of old cities.
-----------------------------
dolphin, CAGE co-founder.
http://www.acage.org
Al-Arian will be convicted on all charges which is why his attorney has been looking for a mistrial since day one.This is just the latest attempt.
Sami & Bubba sittin in a cell............
I've had the song Prisoner of Love (aka Prison Bitch from the Bob and Tom radio show) running through my head for most of the day, this story seems oddly appropriate for it.
Oh Mr. Moffitt, the great fighter for Islam said:
http://www.freesamialarian.com/media/media28.htm
"Speaking in October 2000 at Gonzaga University School of Law,
Moffitt recalled his struggle as a young man deciding how he was
going to pursue his passion for social activism.
``I was torn between the Black Muslims and the Black Panthers and the question of whether I ought to be a participant in the society that I viewed at that time as being racist,'' he said in a speech that was reprinted in the Gonzaga Law Review. ``From my past came a person who said, `Well, why don't you go to law school?' Now, that was the last thing that I wanted to do.''
As a lawyer representing white clients, Moffitt said he was sometimes mistaken for the defendant by court personnel. Once he was attacked by a sheriff's deputy for approaching a judge after the deputy thought he was about to hurt the judge. Moffitt said he later received an apology.
Denver lawyer Larry Pozner, a friend of Moffitt, said Moffitt believes ``the Constitution protects everyone or it protects no one.''
The Al-Arian case ``is built for Bill,'' because it's a cause, Pozner said. ``In cases that might be unpopular, Bill will be the first to sign up ... especially when a community turns on a
person.''
And then he said:
``It's not only happening to my client; it's happening to Islamic people who are being held under these current laws all over the country. ... For the government to suggest its anything other than race and ethnicity is silly.''
Long time viewer, first time poster...
Everyone knows what this guy is all about, but the St. Petersburg Times is trying to be the NYT as an Islamic apologist, and has been on the side of this guy from the begining
trsthntr