An Antiwar Forum in Iowa Brings Federal Subpoenas

[EstimatedProphet]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/10/national/10PROT.html

DES MOINES, Feb. 9 — To hear the antiwar protesters describe it, their forum at a local university last fall was like so many others they had held over the years. They talked about the nonviolent philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they said, and how best to convey their feelings about Iraq into acts of civil disobedience.

But last week, subpoenas began arriving seeking details about the forum's sponsor — its leadership list, its annual reports, its office location — and the event itself. On Monday, lawyers for the sponsor, the Drake University chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, went to court in an effort to block the federal prosecutors' demands.

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More on what we've been talking about since Sunday. One question for any lawyers on the board: isn't there a legal principle that states that prior convictions cannot be used for evidence of guilt? What is it called, and does it apply here?

[enough]

1. The desired effect

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Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he feared news of the subpoenas — which was spreading rapidly via e-mail on Monday among activist organizations — might discourage people from showing up to protests, attending meetings at universities or even checking out library books.

"People will have to be asking themselves: will this be subject to government scrutiny?" Mr. Romero said.

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This is what they want, for sure.