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Politech is the oldest Internet resource devoted to politics and technology. Launched in 1994 by Declan McCullagh, the mailing list has chronicled the growing intersection of culture, technology, politics, and law. Since 2000, so has the Politech web site.
Jim Bell's trial begins in about one hour here in lovely downtown Tacoma. Bell is best known for being the author of "Assassination Politics," but he is charged with stalking federal agents. He says, and a good number of observers agree, that the Feds are prosecuting him for doing what an investigative reporter does: Compiling information from publicly available databases, documenting what's happening, and so on. This case could set a precedent that affects the First Amendment privilege of journalists. You can find his recent motions here: http://cryptome.org/jdb032801.htm#filings Original complaint: http://cryptome.org/jdb111700.htm Photo of Jim Bell: http://www.mccullagh.org/image/9/jim-bell-2.html Still unclear is who will be representing Bell. Bell has tried for months to fire his court-appointed attorney, saying his attorney has been so negligent in filing motions that Bell's case has been damaged beyond repair. So the judge will have to decide whether Bell or Bell's attorney, Robert Leen, will be conducting his defense. U.S. District Judge Jack Tanner also will rule on my motion to quash my subpoena from the Department of Justice. He has the option of (1) saying I don't need to take the stand, (2) limiting my testimony to only what's in my published articles, (3) allowing both sides to ask me any questions, including about unpublished information. My motion to quash subpoena: http://www.mccullagh.org/subpoena/ -Declan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if it remains intact. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------