Former civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart ordered to serve prison sentence

Former civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart has been ordered to immediately serve a 28-month prison sentence, and could face a longer period of incarceration. Today, a federal appeals court issued a 200-page ruling that directs a district court to review whether her sentence was too lenient. Stewart, now 70 years old, was convicted in 2005 of conspiracy and providing material support to terrorists by carrying messages from her client, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman to a terrorist organization in Egypt. Rahman was convicted of plotting terrorist attacks in the US and is serving a life sentence in a North Carolina prison. Stewart was also convicted of defrauding the government for violating a post-September 11th rule called Special Administrative Measures which prohibits some prisoners from communicating with the outside world, and which can limit what an attorney speaks about with her clients.

In a letter to district judge John Koeltl in September 2006, Stewart wrote that while she did violate government policy limiting communications, she did so only to serve her client. Judge Koeltl, acknowledged Stewart's 30-year career of representing controversial clients saying she provided a "public service, not only to her clients, but to the nation." But he also said prison time was merited because of her "extraordinarily severe criminal conduct."

Stewart, who's garnered widespread support since her trial, has been released on bail since her sentencing. Two years ago, she spoke at a fundraiser for Pacifica's WBAI:

"I just want you all to know, I really couldn't believe my ears: that there was a federal judge saying this about me, in this circumstance as he's about to sentence me for terrorism, he is saying I was of great service to the nation.  But you know I believe that John Cotle read every one of the letters that came in.  And he read them and he realized who I was, what my life had been about, and he honored me in that way."

Stewart's attorney did not return FSRN's request for comment on today's ruling. Two members of Stewart's legal team, including a NYU graduate student who was hired to translate for Rahman, were also charged and sentenced. But today's ruling also opened up the possibility of reconsidering these sentences.