HRF Responds to Former Federal Prosecutor’s Question about Proper Arena for Terrorism Trials

The New York Times printed Senior Associate Deborah Colson’s letter to the editor online today, answering a question posed to the presidential candidates before the last debate by former U.S. Attorney, Mary Jo White:

Question: When dealing with people accused of being involved in international terrorism against the United States, what is the proper balance between the use of military proceedings and criminal trials in our courts?

HRF’s Response: Mary Jo White, former United States attorney in Manhattan, asks about the proper balance between military proceedings and criminal trials “when dealing with people accused of being involved in international terrorism against the United States.”

The answer is, our federal courts can handle complex terrorism cases.

“In Pursuit of Justice,” a recent Human Rights First report, examined 123 international terrorism cases prosecuted in the federal courts and found that the federal system successfully balances the need to protect classified information with defendants’ fair trial rights.

In fact, the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan successfully prosecuted dozens of terrorism suspects in the 1990s while Ms. White was at the helm.

Neither candidate addressed the issue in last week’s debate, but terrorism prosecutions undoubtedly will be a top national-security priority for the next presidential administration.