Many Say He’s the Least Qualified Lawyer Ever to Lead a Guantánamo Case. He Agrees.
- 6 years ago
Many Say He’s the Least Qualified Lawyer Ever to Lead a Guantánamo Case. He Agrees.
I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing, but I don’t think I really had a choice." The dispute
that prompted the resignations of the rest of Lieutenant Piette’s team started this summer when the defense learned that conversations with their client — conversations that are typically strictly confidential — were likely being monitored by the government.
The prosecution declined requests for an interview,
but in court, an Air Force major on the team denounced Lieutenant Piette’s objections, calling them "shameless, disingenuous and conceited." The same day, though, Abbe Smith, a law professor at Georgetown who taught Lieutenant Piette criminal defense, put his photo up in her ethics class as an example of a "courageous and ethical representation." "He’s pretty gutsy.
roceedings continuing without learned counsel." Though he wanted to argue at length, challenging the very idea
that evidence could be admitted without a jury present, he said he knew it would be unethical to even try, and could sink the case. that Defense takes no position other than to object to these p
5, 2018
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba — For years, an expert legal team defended one of the most high-profile
accused terrorists in a death penalty case at the military tribunals here.
But after Mr. Kammen left, Judge Spath ruled that learned counsel were required only "to the extent practicable,"
and pushed forward with pretrial hearings with just the lieutenant at the helm.
Kammen said that I don’t know that all lawyers would do that.
I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing, but I don’t think I really had a choice." The dispute
that prompted the resignations of the rest of Lieutenant Piette’s team started this summer when the defense learned that conversations with their client — conversations that are typically strictly confidential — were likely being monitored by the government.
The prosecution declined requests for an interview,
but in court, an Air Force major on the team denounced Lieutenant Piette’s objections, calling them "shameless, disingenuous and conceited." The same day, though, Abbe Smith, a law professor at Georgetown who taught Lieutenant Piette criminal defense, put his photo up in her ethics class as an example of a "courageous and ethical representation." "He’s pretty gutsy.
roceedings continuing without learned counsel." Though he wanted to argue at length, challenging the very idea
that evidence could be admitted without a jury present, he said he knew it would be unethical to even try, and could sink the case. that Defense takes no position other than to object to these p
5, 2018
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba — For years, an expert legal team defended one of the most high-profile
accused terrorists in a death penalty case at the military tribunals here.
But after Mr. Kammen left, Judge Spath ruled that learned counsel were required only "to the extent practicable,"
and pushed forward with pretrial hearings with just the lieutenant at the helm.
Kammen said that I don’t know that all lawyers would do that.