Padilla Jury Opens Pandora's Box

José Padilla's conviction on terrorism charges on Aug. 16 was a victory, not for justice, but for the U.S. Justice (sic) Department's theory that a U.S. citizen can be convicted, not for committing a terrorist act but for allegedly harboring aspirations to commit such an act. By agreeing with the Justice (sic) Department's theory, the incompetent Padilla jury delivered a deadly blow to the rule of law and opened Pandora's Box.

Anglo-American law is a human achievement 800 years in the making. Over centuries law was transformed from a weapon in the hands of government into a shield of the people from unaccountable power. The Padilla jury's verdict turned law back into a weapon. Antiwar