Today's sentencing of Lynne Stewart, who turned herself into a conduit for an Islamic terrorist who had already conspired to attack the United States once, demonstrates the fecklessness of pursuing terrorists through the civil courts. A federal judge sentenced Stewart to 28 months in prison for assisting Omar Abdel Rahman in activating his terrorist network while the US held him in custody -- and then temporarily released her on her own recognizance:

A firebrand civil rights lawyer who has defended Black Panthers and anti-war radicals was sentenced Monday to nearly 2 1/2 years in prison — far less than the 30 years prosecutors wanted — for helping an imprisoned terrorist sheik communicate with his followers on the outside. ...

The judge said Stewart was guilty of smuggling messages between her client and his followers that could have "potentially lethal consequences." He called the crimes "extraordinarily severe criminal conduct."

But in departing from federal guidelines that called for 30 years behind bars, he cited Stewart's more than three decades of dedication to poor, disadvantaged and unpopular clients.

"Ms. Stewart performed a public service, not only to her clients, but to the nation," Koeltl said.

The judge said Stewart could remain free while she appeals, a process that could take more than a year.

This woman sent messages to Rahman's followers in Egypt that instructed them to begin terrorist activity. She knew exactly what she did -- after all, she had defended Rahman and had seen the evidence against him -- and turned her back on her country and her humanity in order to suck up to a man who plotted the murder of tens of thousands of Americans. Stewart's actions could easily have led to the deaths of many innocent civilians.

The government took this case to the appropriate venue; Stewart is an American citizen and committed a grievous crime. However, Judge Koeltl showed why the law-enforcement model will never defeat terrorism. Here we have an important part of a communication chain meant to instigate murder on a global scale, and the judge sentences her to 1/15th of the possible sentence. Koeltl waxed on about Stewart's previous good works, all of which would have amounted to zero comfort to anyone lost in a terrorist attack she enabled. In fact, we still don't know that there hasn't been an attack based on that communication.

Koeltl sent a message today that certain people can commit or enable acts of terror, as long as they have the correct political background. Stewart will do a few months at a minimum security work camp, and with her illness will probably avoid the work part of it. When she gets released, she will once again become the toast of the hate-America circuit, where she will once again claim she did nothing wrong and that the real terrorists are the people who have tried -- and succeeded -- to keep this country safe for the last five years.

It's a pathetic display, and Koeltl should be ashamed of himself.

John at Stop the ACLU has more.

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» Sentencing Day from A Blog For All
So what sentencing guideline did the judge rely upon in sentencing Stewart? Also, why the discrepancy between Sattar's sentence and Stewarts. Both were convicted of the same crime, and Stewart's presence was what enabled Sattar to transmit the inform... [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 7:15 PM

» Sentencing Day from A Blog For All
So what sentencing guideline did the judge rely upon in sentencing Stewart? Also, why the discrepancy between Sattar's sentence and Stewarts. Both were convicted of the same crime, and Stewart's presence was what enabled Sattar to transmit the inform... [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 7:17 PM

» Sentencing Day from A Blog For All
So what sentencing guideline did the judge rely upon in sentencing Stewart? Also, why the discrepancy between Sattar's sentence and Stewarts. Both were convicted of the same crime, and Stewart's presence was what enabled Sattar to transmit the inform... [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 7:18 PM

» Sentencing Day from A Blog For All
Her supporters would like you to think that Stewart has already been hit with the harshest punishment, the inability to defend clients. Well, that is and was just the starting point. Stewart undermined national security, and the conviction is clear p... [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 7:22 PM

» Attorney gets 28 months for aiding terrorists from Bill's Bites
See previous: So how about if we just hang the bitch and be done with it?NEW YORK (AP) -- Civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison for helping a client, a blind sheik who [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 7:38 PM

» Global War on Terror Watch: American Attorney Lynne Stewart Sentenced to 28 months in Prison from FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
Lynne Stewart speaks to friends after leaving the courthouse in New York City September 1, 2005. Stewart, a New York attorney convicted of aiding terrorism by helping a client smuggle messages to militant followers, was sentenced to 28 months in priso... [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 7:52 PM

» Terrorist's Lawyer Gets Wrist Slap (Updated) from Hyscience
She had faced up to 30 years in prison, she should have been shot for treason during a time that her country is at war. [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 8:03 PM

» Terrorist's Lawyer Sentenced to 28 Months from The Thunder Run
In another travesty of justice U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl sentenced Lynne Stewart to a paltry 28 months. The judge said Stewart was guilty of smuggling messages between her client and his followers that could have "potentially lethal con .... [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 8:54 PM

» Help a Terrorist, Go to Jail (for a little while) from Radioactive Communist Zombies
Oh, the blogosphere has exploded with the sentencing of Lynne Stewart, cuddly grandma, nice lady, radical lawyer. What can I add? A Clinton-appointed judge gave her a slap on the wrist. You think she doesn't deserve more? Michelle Malkin lists [Read More]

Tracked on October 16, 2006 10:57 PM

» Lynne Stewart Will Burn in Hell, But Not Rot in Prison from Jeremayakovka
Why is this woman smiling? Flaming terrorist defender lawyer and believer in the violent overthrow of capitalism, Lynne Stewart, was just sentenced to all of 28 months in prison for assisting her infamous client Omar Abdel-Rahman pass information to hi... [Read More]

Tracked on October 17, 2006 3:49 AM

» Lynne Stewart Gets The Book Thrown at Her from RightLinx
The comic book, that is, by an activist liberal judge. Read his biography below. [Read More]

Tracked on October 17, 2006 4:10 AM

» Traitor only given 28 months from Stix Blog
A travesty to justice.By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 36 minutes ago NEW YORK - Civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison on a terrorism charge for helping a client who plotted [Read More]

Tracked on October 17, 2006 10:06 AM

» Feeling Sorry for The Traitor Lynne Stewart from Blue Star Chronicles
Judge Koeltl said the reason he gave such a light sentence to The Traitor Lynne Stewart was because he felt sorry for her. This is how the main stream media presented The Traitor Lynne Stewart before her sentencing: [Read More]

Tracked on October 17, 2006 12:48 PM

» SLAP ON THE WRIST from Texas Hold 'Em Blogger
No kidding. A leftist lawyer conspires with an imprisoned Al Qaeda terrorist and helps the terrorist communicate with other terrorists on the outside and gets a grand total of 28 months in prison. That’s it. Less than 2 ½ years. Prosectutors had... [Read More]

Tracked on October 17, 2006 2:04 PM