You may disagree with what extent the reader needs to have an empathetic understanding for Fahad’s decision. However, I think that it is uncritical to portray the plea as a simple admission of guilt. That interpretation fails to ask important questions about the government’s bizarre conduct in this case i.e. the government’s willingness to drop three other supposedly severe charges in the blink of an eye, the fact that Fahad waited until the eve of the trial before accepting the plea bargain, and the numerous critiques of the breadth of the material support statute (whose constitutionality was challenged before the Supreme Court just last month).
Posts Tagged ‘anonymous jury’
After 3 Years in Solitary Fahad Takes a Plea
Posted in General Info, Trial Watch, tagged anonymous jury, civil liberties, human rights, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Syed Fahad Hashmi on April 28, 2010 | 2 Comments »
On Tuesday April 27, Fahad Hashmi took a government plea bargain. He pleaded guilty to 1 count of conspiracy for allowing an acquaintance to store waterproof socks, ponchos and raincoats in his apartment. The government dropped the other 3 charges. Fahad made this decision after having served 3 long years in solitary confinement and one [...]
What does the government really want to protect the jury from?
Posted in General Info, Trial Watch, tagged anonymous jury, fair trial, judicial process, media, pre-trial publicity, Sixth Amendment, Syed Fahad Hashmi, United States v. Ross, United States v. Stewart, voir dire on April 27, 2010 | 2 Comments »
As the defense attorneys argued in their brief, to warrant an anonymous jury the government must show a “strong reason to believe the jury needs protection.” That’s because the rights at stake are huge.
Where is the “Impartial Jury”?
Posted in Community Voices, General Info, tagged anonymous jury, due process, impartial jury, Syed Fahad Hashmi, William Fisher on April 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
As William Fisher points out, the amount of privacy that the potential jurors are afforded when asked questioned raises the issue of the definition of “impartial jury.”
Government Attempts to Frighten Jury in Hashmi Trial
Posted in Trial Watch, tagged anonymous jury, Center for Constitutional Rights, Fahad Hashmi, Islamophobia on April 22, 2010 | 1 Comment »
The Center for Constitutional Rights was quick to issue a statement denouncing a recent government attempt to frighten the jury in the upcoming trial of Fahad Hashmi. In a clear attempt to criminalize those supportive of Hashmi and critical of the government’s handling of his case, the government motion filed this week requesting an “anonymous [...]
