Welcome to Law and Disorder Radio
Law and Disorder is a weekly independent civil liberties radio program airing on more than 150 stations and on Apple podcast. Law and Disorder provides timely legal perspectives on issues concerning civil liberties, privacy, right to dissent and practices of torture exercised by the US government and private corporations.
Law and Disorder February 4, 2008
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Hosts Update – US Attorney General Refuses to Say Waterboarding Is Torture
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Hears Lynne Stewart’s Arguments
Law and Disorder hosts welcome back civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart. Lynne Stewart has been free on bail pending appeal since federal judge John Koeltl gave her a 28 month sentence in October 2006. As you may recall Lynne Stewart was initially facing up to 30 years after being found guilty of conspiring to aid terrorists. She was convicted of distributing press releases on behalf of her jailed client Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman who is serving a life sentence on terror-related charges.
Here on Law and Disorder we’ve followed Lynne Stewart’s case as it contains key breaches of civil liberties such as government eavesdropping into attorney/ client conversations.
- New York Law Journal article on Lynne’s Appeals Hearing
- Click here to download the full Appeal Brief in Lynne’s case
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Pro-independence Puerto Ricans subpoenaed by NYC grand jury
Three Puerto Rican activists and artists have been ordered to appear before a Brooklyn federal grand jury. The activists are graphic designer Tania Frontera, social worker Christopher Torres and filmmaker Julio Antonio Pabon.
Federal grand jury investigations are secret by law. There are indications that it is part of a probe into the Popular Boricua Army (EPB)-Macheteros, a rebel pro-independence group whose leader, Filiberto Ojeda Rios, was killed by FBI agents in Puerto Rico on Sept. of 2005. The FBI is also trying to locate Hector Rivera, one of the founders of the Welfare Poets, a New York-based collective of activists and poets, in order to serve him with a subpoena. Supporters of the three activists speculated that the FBI had aimed at harassing the Puerto Rican legal movement to obtain independence for the U.S. territory.
Guest – Robert Boyle with the National Lawyers Guild.
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Michael Ratner on Real News : Will Bush’s Illegal Wiretapping Be Made Legal?
Law and Disorder January 28, 2008
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Updates:
- Jose Padilla Is Sentenced to 17 Years – The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke marks another step in the extraordinary personal and legal odyssey for the 37-year-old Muslim convert, a U.S. citizen who was held for 3 years as an enemy combatant after his 2002 arrest amid the “dirty bomb” allegations. He had faced up to life in prison.
- Canada Puts U.S. and Israel on Torture Watch List: Not For Long The document cites the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay and lists U.S. interrogation techniques including “forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation.†Other countries on the list include Israel, Syria, China, Iran and Afghanistan. Canada’s regret to include US and Israel on a list of states where prisoners are at risk of torture.
Gaza Siege Crisis Deepens
Israel has ordered closure of all crossings into the Gaza Strip. All goods continue to be blocked, including humanitarian supplies from the UN. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees condemned the move, saying it will only worsen an already dire situation. Israel says its trying to thwart rocket attacks on the nearby Israeli town of Sderot.
Guest – Muna Coobtee, Muna is with the Free Palestine Alliance, and the Answer Coalition in Los Angeles.
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Magna Carta Manifesto: Liberties and Commons For All
Magna Carta Manifesto is the title of Peter Linebaugh’s new book. In it he provides a sweeping history of the Magna Carta. Originally issued in 1215, the Magna Carta was the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today. One review reads, ” the book shines a fierce light on the current state of liberty and shows how longstanding restraints against tyranny such as the rights of habeas corpus, trial by jury and the prohibition of torture are being abridged.”
Guest – Author Peter Linebaugh, University of Toledo professor and also author of many books and the article, “The Secret History of the Magna Carta.â€
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Co-host Michael Ratner’s response to Canada’s Foreign Minister apologising for including the US and Israel on a list of states where prisoners are at risk of torture. Real News.
Law and Disorder January 21, 2008
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Drug Policy: US Legislation Reform and International Models
Here on Law and Disorder we’ve had a number of guests examine drug policies and the connection to prison populations in the United States. Kevin Zeese talks with hosts about drug policy and subsequent connections with prisons. He also analyzes international drug policy models that work to keep crime statistics down, especially in Sweden.
Guest – Kevin Zeese. Kevin is a National Lawyers Guild member, he ran for the US Senate position in Maryland and is currently the president of Common Sense For Drug Policy. Kevin also writes for the newsletter CounterPunch, he’s been published in The Washington Post, Common Dreams, and AlterNet.
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Court Overturns $156 Million Judgement. Judge: Evidence Must Tie Terrorism To Attack
Federal anti-terrorism laws allow US citizens to sue for civil damages. In the first of its kind, a federal appeals court tossed out a multi-million dollar judgement that had been awarded to the family of an American teenager killed in a 1996 terrorist attack in the West Bank. The judge’s decision took into account errors in the case and the failure of the lawyers for the Boim family to present credible evidence that Hamas was responsible for the attack.
Guest – Chicago based attorney Matt Piers, with the firm Hughes, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym, Ltd.
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Bricks in the Wall: How a U.S. Police State Is Being Built
We hear a speech by activist Clark Kissinger who spoke at the Brecht Forum. The event examined the near completion since 9/11 of the infrastructure for a police state in the US, including its legal and ideological apparatus. Co-host Michael Steven Smith and Vince Warren Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. were also among the speakers.