Legal Commentary

Holder: Zazi Another Example of Successes of Civilian Terror Trials

By Jeralyn

Attorney General Eric Holder at a press conference after Nabijullah Zazi's guilty plea today praised the civilian courts as venues for terror trials.

In this case, as it has been in so many other ones, the criminal justice system has proved to be an invaluable weapon for disrupting plots and incapacitating terrorists, one that works in concert with our intelligence community and in concert with our military. We will continue to use it to protect the American people from terrorism.

Now, as I've stated on other occasions, the criminal justice system also contains powerful incentives to induce pleas that yield long sentences, and that gain intelligence that can be used in the fight, in the war against al Qaeda. We will use all available tools whenever possible against suspected terrorists.

Holder also decried the political motives of those in opposition: [More...]

To take this tool out of our hands to denigrate the use of this tool flies in the face of the facts, in the face of the history of the use of that tool and is more about politics than it is about facts,” he said.

Hopefully, this will fortify Holder and Obama to stand by their decision to try the 9/11 defendants in federal court. Holder today said no final decision has been made.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 22, 2010 (boomark / email).