The American Judicature Society, a national organization which works to improve the justice system and preserve the independence of the judiciary, today condemned remarks by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs Cully Stimson attacking many of the nation's largest and most prestigious law firms for providing pro bono representation to detainees being held in Guantanamo.
Stimson, in an interview yesterday with a Washington, D.C. radio station, had called it "shocking" that major law firms were providing free legal assistance to detainees in federal habeas corpus proceedings and said that "when corporate CEOs see that those firms are representing the very terrorists who hit their bottom line back in 2001, those CEOs are going to make those law firms choose between representing terrorists and representing reputable firms."
Neal Sonnett, a Miami lawyer who is President of AJS, said today that Stimson's remarks were "shameful and irresponsible" and a "blatant attempt to intimidate lawyers and their firms who are rendering important public service in upholding the rule of law and our democratic ideals." Stimson's comments, Sonnett said, were also an insult to CEOs. "Good corporate citizens appreciate and understand the professional responsibility of lawyers to preserve and protect fundamental
rights, even in controversial cases."
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