Academic

JUSTICE DEPT. FAIL: Judge orders release of 9 Hutaree militia members. ?The United States is c?

By Glenn Reynolds

JUSTICE DEPT. FAIL: Judge orders release of 9 Hutaree militia members.

?The United States is correct that it need not wait until people are killed before it arrests conspirators,? U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts said in a 36-page decision. ?But, the Defendants are also correct: their right to engage in hate-filled, venomous speech, is a right that deserves First Amendment protection.?

She said federal prosecutors failed to persuade her that the defendants must be jailed until trial.

It is unclear whether the U.S. Attorney?s Office will appeal the decision.

Okay, this isn’t any sort of exoneration, but it does suggest that the feds rushed the arrest. It’s only speculation that they did so because there was pressure from the Administration to generate some militia-threat headlines precisely at the time that the “militia threat” was the talking-point of the day. But it’s not unreasonable speculation, based on what we know so far . . . .

Exit question: Does this affect your confidence in what we’re hearing about the NYC bomb investigation?

UPDATE: Reader Kevin Greene emails: “Michael Bloomberg today tried to pin the bomb on ’someone with a political agenda that doesn?t like the health care bill or something.’ That doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence in the impartial investigation of this act of terrorism, now does it?”

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on May 03, 2010 (boomark / email).