Potshot at Guantanamo lawyers backfires-Big firms laud free legal aid for detainees

[kpete]

Potshot at Guantanamo lawyers backfires
Big firms laud free legal aid for detainees
By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | January 29, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Two weeks after a senior Pentagon official suggested that corporations should pressure their law firms to stop assisting detainees at Guantanamo Bay, major companies have turned the tables on the Pentagon and issued statements supporting the law firms' work on behalf of terrorism suspects.

The corporate support for the lawyers comes as law associations and members of Congress have expressed outrage at the remarks of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs Charles D. "Cully" Stimson on Jan. 11.

In a radio interview, Stimson stated the names of a dozen law firms that volunteer their services to represent detainees, and he suggested that the chief executives of the firms' corporate clients would make the lawyers "choose between representing terrorists or representing reputable firms."

He said he expected the newly public list of law firms that do work at Guantanamo Bay to spark a cycle of negative publicity for them. Instead, Stimson himself became the center of nationwide criticism and later apologized for the remarks.

more at:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/29/potshot_at_guantanamo_lawyers_backfires/

[jilln]

1. Good for them.

I wonder if they would be interested at all if these weren't such high-profile cases, but still, good for them for doing the work and for standing up for themselves too.

I've always thought that the only ones who can get rid of these Orwellian Bush policies are corporations. I am still hoping the airlines do something about the watch lists.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

9. No, they do it because they have a strong belief in the rule of law

and in our Constitution.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. K&R

[rman]

3. Bush enablers shoot themselves in the foot

Again.
Their hubris will be their downfall.

[ck4829]

4. George W. Bush responds...

"D'oh!"

[mopinko]

5. what a dumb ass.

does he expect lawyers to just throw out their standards and responsibilities for them? lawyers are REQUIRED to do pro bono work, and to represent those that are reviled. it's the fucking rules, you idiot.

[NewJeffCT]

6. The problem is - if 99 out of 100 corporations say it is okay

but, 1 changes their mind, Stimson has accomplished his original goal.

Next time, it might be 2 out of 100, or 3.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Thug.

Glad to hear the private corporations stepped up. Of course, we all know they're going to need their lawyers in the future so now is not the time to make enemies.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

8. Stimson ought to be fired.

But will probably get the Medal of Freedom

The lawyers and law firms who do this work get hate mail and get mentioned in negative LTTE's by misguided citizens who have drunk too much kool-aid.

I worked in an administrative capacity at a law firm with one of Padilla's lawyers. Sadly, many of my co-workers (staff) did not understand why he was representing him.



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[struggle4progress]

10. Cully really needs to spend a lot more time with his family