Defending the Bill of Rights

Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart was falsely accused in 2002 of helping terrorists. Although the jury found her technically guilty, the Federal Judge in charge of the case clearly signaled his displeasure with prosecutors and the entire case when he sentenced Stewart to a little over two years in prison--when the prosecutors had requested a thirty-year sentence. The case is an obvious attempt by the U.S. government to silence dissent, curtail vigorous defense lawyers, and install fear in those who would fight against the U.S. government's racism, seek to help Arabs and Muslims being prosecuted for free speech, and defend the rights of all oppressed people.

Michael Ratner is president of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a non-profit human rights litigation organization. In November 2006, CCR filed a criminal complaint in a German court against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for authorizing war crimes in the context of the so-called “War on Terror.” Ratner was co-counsel representing Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States Supreme Court, in the case that upheld their right to challenge the legality of their detentions. Ratner is also a past president of the National Lawyers Guild and the author of numerous books and articles on civil and human rights issues.

A benefit for the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee, the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, and Peninsula Peace and Justice Center.

$12 - $25 suggested donation