Constitutional Law

3 vs. 319

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU

Today's Washington Post tells us that advisors to President Obama are telling him to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to send the 9/11 defendants to federal criminal court, and send them back to the military commissions system.

There are only two numbers you need to know in this debate over where the 9/11 defendants should be tried: three and 319.

Three is the number of people who have been convicted in the military commissions system. Two of the men convicted in the military commission system are free today.

Compare that to the more than 300 who have been convicted on terrorism-related charges in our federal criminal courts and are incarcerated in federal prisons.

President Obama promised during his campaign to bring those behind the 9/11 attacks to justice, and to restore the rule of law. Send him a message now, telling him to support his attorney general's decision to try the 9/11 suspects in federal court.

Full post as published by Blog of Rights on March 05, 2010 (boomark / email).