7.28.2005
Outspoken Judge Draws Praise, Respect (SeattlePI.com)
He was appointed to the bench by Reagan in 1981
By SAM SKOLNIK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
During the 2001 trial of Ahmed Ressam in Los Angeles, federal prosecutors were eager to have renowned French anti-terrorism investigator Jean-Louis Bruguiere explain how Ressam's status rose after being trained at Osama bin Laden's Afghanistan camps.
Prosecutors thought Bruguiere's testimony critical in convincing the jury that Ressam was conspiring to commit international terrorism, not just acting as a courier when he drove a car full of explosives into Washington state.
But U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said no, forbidding any mention by Bruguiere of bin Laden. He didn't want to taint the jury against Ressam.
If anything, that ruling and Coughenour's conduct throughout the Ressam case -- which ended yesterday when he sentenced the Algerian man to 22 years in prison -- has demonstrated his fierce commitment to fairness.
"He conducted a terrorism trial that will be perceived as fair by prosecutors, by defense lawyers, by the public and by the press," said veteran Seattle defense lawyer Irwin Schwartz, who said he has appeared before the judge dozens of times.
"There were no closed doors, no secret evidence," said Schwartz, who was not associated with the Ressam case. "This was American justice as it was intended to be."
(More ... Outspoken judge draws praise, respect) ¶ 19:48
By SAM SKOLNIK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
During the 2001 trial of Ahmed Ressam in Los Angeles, federal prosecutors were eager to have renowned French anti-terrorism investigator Jean-Louis Bruguiere explain how Ressam's status rose after being trained at Osama bin Laden's Afghanistan camps.
Prosecutors thought Bruguiere's testimony critical in convincing the jury that Ressam was conspiring to commit international terrorism, not just acting as a courier when he drove a car full of explosives into Washington state.
But U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said no, forbidding any mention by Bruguiere of bin Laden. He didn't want to taint the jury against Ressam.
If anything, that ruling and Coughenour's conduct throughout the Ressam case -- which ended yesterday when he sentenced the Algerian man to 22 years in prison -- has demonstrated his fierce commitment to fairness.
"He conducted a terrorism trial that will be perceived as fair by prosecutors, by defense lawyers, by the public and by the press," said veteran Seattle defense lawyer Irwin Schwartz, who said he has appeared before the judge dozens of times.
"There were no closed doors, no secret evidence," said Schwartz, who was not associated with the Ressam case. "This was American justice as it was intended to be."
(More ... Outspoken judge draws praise, respect) ¶ 19:48
