"Which is worse? The wolf who cries before eating the lamb or the wolf who does not."— Leo Tolstoy

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Anti-War Demonstrators' Convictions Overturned


Speaking of anti-war protests,  the Legal Times' blog reported that a 2007 Bush-era conviction of anti-war protestors was recently overturned by the D.C. Court of Appeals:
The D.C. Court of Appeals today overturned the convictions of a group of anti-war demonstrators at the White House in March 2007, saying prosecutors presented "no evidence whatsoever" that any regulation was violated.
The authorities improperly revoked the demonstrators' permit that night on a sidewalk in front of the White House, a three-judge panel said. More than 100 demonstrators had gathered. The court vacated 10 convictions.
“The demonstrators were exercising their First Amendment rights under a valid permit, and there is no evidence that the facts known to the police appeared to justify their revocation of that permit and consequent order to disperse,” Judge Stephen Glickman wrote for the panel, which include Judge Kathryn Oberly and Senior Judge John Ferren. The court's opinion is here.
We are exactly a year away from the major party conventions and protestors will face fresh threats from the Government's efforts to stamp out dissent.  More on this later.

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