Convicted!

Despite a string of legal decisions that have debilitated America’s ability to prosecute successfully the War on Terror, a ray of hope has emerged. New York defense attorney Lynne Stewart was convicted Thursday of aiding terrorism by helping her client – Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman – send messages to militant followers (Abdel-Rahman, it can be recalled, was found guilty in 1995 of involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing).

Likely facing 20 years in prison, Stewart was convicted on all five counts against her: aiding terrorist activity, conspiring to assist terrorist activity and actually assisting terrorist activity, as well as defrauding the government by breaking her pledge to keep her client from communicating with the outside world and making false statements.

Stewart’s case, hopefully, will prove a powerful deterrent to others who would abet terrorism under the expectation of protection from a sympathetic legal system. Justice has had its day in court.