Bennington grandmother's conviction overturned by (VT) Supreme Court

[struggle4progress]

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- A 69-year-old grandmother arrested at an anti-war protest won a court battle Wednesday when the Vermont Supreme Court overturned her conviction ...

In the March 20, 2003 protest, staged during the opening hours of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Jackowski and 11 others were arrested after blocking traffic at the town's main intersection. The others entered a court diversion program, but Jackowski went to court, where she testified that she was moved to protest by the deaths of Iraqi children at the hands of the U.S. military.

It took a jury less than 15 minutes to convict her of a disorderly persons offense. Vermont District Judge David Suntag sentenced her to up to two days in jail, but suspended the sentence pending her appeal to the Supreme Court ...

Her attorney, Stephen Saltonstall, argued that the disorderly persons charge could only be proven if it was established that she intended to annoy or inconvenience people ...

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5720628&nav=4QcS

[Eric J in MN]

1. I don't belive in blocking traffic.

It angers people who may support your cause.

[ToolTex]

2. Traffic in Montpelier, Vermont? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Anyway, I'm delighted for her and us that any court still allows us our Right of protest. And I hope when I'm 69 that I can still pull-off a disorderly persons offense, which I guarantee will be intentionally meant to annoy.