Column: Retired Fed Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson Says 9/11 Trial Should be Held in D.C.

Thomas Penfield Jackson was a U.S. District Court judge in D.C. for 22 years before retiring in 2004.

Thomas Penfield Jackson/st. mary's college photo
Thomas Penfield Jackson/st. mary's college photo
By Thomas Penfield Jackson
Washington Post Column

For reasons I have some difficulty appreciating, the city of New York has rejected Attorney General Eric Holder’s plan to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in Manhattan.

True, the trial will be expensive, but much of the cost will be borne by the federal government, not the city hosting the trial. And true, the trial would once again make New York an enticing target for a terrorist attack, but New York is always an appealing target for attack.

For that matter, so is Washington — but I submit that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the most appropriate alternative forum for this trial. KSM’s crimes were committed against the entire nation, and it is fitting that the nation’s capital should host his trial.

To Read more click here.

Leave a Reply