Appeals court tosses out Padilla sentence
According to the Associated Press, the 11th Circuit Court has thrown out the sentence for terrorist Jose Padilla who plotted to detonate a “dirty bomb” in downtown Chicago. For once the court goes along with popular opinion tha Padilla’s 17-year sentence was too short;
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the sentence imposed by a Miami federal judge was too lenient. The appeals court sent the case back for a new sentencing hearing.
Padilla and two co-conspirators were convicted in 2007 after a three-month trial in which prosecutors said they sent money, recruits and supplies to Islamic extremist groups including al-Qaida. The appeals ruling upheld all the convictions.
When it wants to, the justice system can work against terrorism, the problem is, the court system never really wants to work against terrorism. I’m pleased that this time it does.
Category: Legal, Terror War
The problem with the sentencing has a name: Marcia Cooke, a federal judge. The federal prosecutor argued strenuously at sentencing that Padilla should receive the max–life. Cooke disregarded the sentencing guidelines altogether, saying that there was neither a victim nor damage as a result of Padilla’s crimes!
Holy crap. Then again, if this had happened in the 9th’s jurisdiction, they probably would have let him go with all the profuse apologies of all the residents of San Freaksicko.
NHSparky, they probably would have let him go and given him a seat on the California Nuclear Energy Commission…