Terror Trial Logistics: The prosecution of five men in federal district court in Manhattan on terror charges poses logistical and security problems as well as a thicket of novel legal issues, The New York Law Journal reports. Two big issues deal with how the courts will handle classified information and whether statements from the defendants will be admitted.
Defending Hasan: The New York Times today looks at the hurdles defense counsel faces in defending Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man charged with 13 counts of murder for his alleged role in the Fort Hood shooting in Texas. Col. John P. Galligan, a retired Army officer, represents Hasan. The best Colonel Galligan might hope for, according to military experts, is to block the imposition of a death sentence. The Washington Post interviewed the radical cleric whose communication with Hasan is part of the government's review of the shooting.
Roller Coaster Ride: Two pinnacles in the Los Angeles plaintiffs' bar, Thomas Girardi of Girardi & Keese and Walter Lack of Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack, are coming to the end of a disciplinary action before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, where they are accused of deceiving the court in a Nicaraguan pesticides case, The Recorder reports.
Slow Road to the Bench: President Obama is on pace to set a record for the fewest judges confirmed during a president's first year in the White House, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The Times says Senate Republicans have quietly used their minority power to block candidates to the lower federal courts.
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