Lynne Stewart, who thinks that by helping jihad terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman she is aiding the struggle against racism and sexism, is still guilty. “Verdict Vs. Lawyer in Terror Case Upheld,” from AP, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
NEW YORK (AP) — Freedom of speech offers no protection for a lawyer convicted of providing material support to terrorists for publicly releasing messages from a notorious jailed sheik, a judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl rejected all of attorney Lynne Stewart’s arguments that the February verdict should be tossed out.
Stewart, 65, had argued that her client, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, was engaging in protected speech when he expressed his opinion about a cease fire by Islamic militants in Egypt that Stewart passed along in a 2000 press release.
Koeltl said the sheik’s actions were not constitutionally protected, citing the sheik’s participation in a conspiracy to kill people in a foreign country while serving a life sentence.
Abdel-Rahman was convicted in 1995 of seditious conspiracy for his advisory role in a plot to blow up New York City landmarks, including the United Nations.
Stewart, who continued to represent the sheik after that trial, agreed to special rules established by the government to prevent Abdel-Rahman from communicating with the outside world.
She was convicted of defrauding the government and making false statements after prosecutors said she broke her promise to abide by the rules when she helped pass messages between the sheik and his followers.