Legal Commentary

AG Eric Holder: No Decision Yet on 9/11 Trial Forum or Venue

By Jeralyn

Attorney General Eric Holder testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said no final decision has been made on where to try the 9/11 detainees. They have not ruled out New York and a decision is weeks away.

As to closing Guantanamo, Holder said it's still on the agenda but the plan cannot move forward until Congress approves funding to purchase Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois.

Here is Holder's opening statement. He also addressed the powder-cocaine disparity and confirmation lag for nominated U.S. Attorneys: [More...]

Anyone hoping Obama will push for equalization of crack-powder penalties favord by the House over the 20:1 ratio favored by the Senate will be disappointed. Holder praised the Senate for its proposal containing only the "dramatic reduction." In other words, significant reduction is acceptable, he's not pushing for equalization or a 1:1 penalty ratio.

I want to thank this Committee and the full Senate for the critical step it took last month in unanimously approving a dramatic reduction in the disparity between crack and powder-cocaine sentences. It was enormously heartening to me personally to see the Committee come together in a bipartisan fashion to address this long-standing injustice. The 100-1 disparity undermined trust in the criminal justice system and diverted resources away from the prosecution of large-scale drug organizations. These reforms will serve the goals of law enforcement while ensuring fairness in sentencing.

There are 19 U.S. Attorneys still awaiting confirmation, which Holder called "unusual" and asked action be taken.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 14, 2010 (boomark / email).