War objector Watada gets some good news
Judge blocks retrial of war objector Watada
SEATTLE – The Army can’t retry a Fort Lewis-based Iraq war objector on several key charges because that would violate the soldier’s constitutional protection against double jeopardy, a federal judge ruled late Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle of Tacoma said the government could not retry 1st Lt. Ehren Watada on charges of missing his unit’s deployment to Iraq in June 2006 and for denouncing President Bush and the war.
To do so would violate Watada’s Fifth Amendment rights by trying him twice for the same charges, Settle held.
Watada contended that the war is illegal and that he would be a party to war crimes if he served in Iraq. His first court-martial ended in a mistrial in February 2007.</em>
Kudos to a patriot.
