arcticpenguin
26th April 2003, 10:19 AM
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/04/26/law.award/index.html
NEW YORK (AP) -- The dean of law at the City University of New York has rejected a bid by students to honor a lawyer accused of helping a jailed Egyptian cleric direct terrorism from prison.
Dean Kristin Booth Glenn told members of the graduating class Tuesday that attorney Lynne Stewart could not receive the award for public interest lawyer of the year during graduation ceremonies.
Stewart, 63, was charged along with two others last year with helping deliver messages from her jailed client, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, to the Islamic Group, an Egyptian-based terrorist group. All three have pleaded innocent and are scheduled to go to trial Oct. 7.
Could be several issues here -
Why did the students nominate Stewart for this award? Is it merely a show of public support, or does she have significant accomplishments other than this case? The Shiel is a genuine bad-a__. If the students want to make a statement about erosion of civil liberties, shouldn't they pick a better poster child?
On the other side, apparently the nomination was vetoed by either the faculty or the Dean. Were they right to do so?
NEW YORK (AP) -- The dean of law at the City University of New York has rejected a bid by students to honor a lawyer accused of helping a jailed Egyptian cleric direct terrorism from prison.
Dean Kristin Booth Glenn told members of the graduating class Tuesday that attorney Lynne Stewart could not receive the award for public interest lawyer of the year during graduation ceremonies.
Stewart, 63, was charged along with two others last year with helping deliver messages from her jailed client, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, to the Islamic Group, an Egyptian-based terrorist group. All three have pleaded innocent and are scheduled to go to trial Oct. 7.
Could be several issues here -
Why did the students nominate Stewart for this award? Is it merely a show of public support, or does she have significant accomplishments other than this case? The Shiel is a genuine bad-a__. If the students want to make a statement about erosion of civil liberties, shouldn't they pick a better poster child?
On the other side, apparently the nomination was vetoed by either the faculty or the Dean. Were they right to do so?