Defending Mohammad: Justice on Trial (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "On Friday, February 26, 1993, around six o'clock in the evening, I was late for my piano lesson..." (more)
Key Phrases: tire fragment, urea nitrate, jail conditions, New York, World Trade Center, Ramzi Yousef (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is an unorthodox memoir to say the least...[and] has already spurred debate...." -- (The New York Times, July 5, 2003)

"[D]epicts the American legal system in a 'presumed guilty' courtroom case." -- (Publisher Weekly Fall 2003 Announcements)

Product Description

"The arrest of Mohammad Salameh, an illegal Palestinian immigrant, and three other Arab men in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing set off the first major ‘Muslim scare’ in New York City history. It was in this atmosphere that the four defendants were indicted and stood trial for the terrorist act. I was a public defender with New York’s Legal Aid Society at the time and by chance was assigned to represent the lead suspect, Salameh. The high-profile case snapped me out of my midcareer doldrums. Salameh was the ultimate underdog, and I was determined to ensure that he received a fair trial before an impartial jury. Unfortunately, the key court actors—judge, prosecutors, and defense lawyers—failed to meet this challenge.

Terrorism defendants are not predestined to receive unfair trials. If we are alert to the stress factors that can undermine impartiality, we can take measures to avoid transforming the potential for injustice into the actuality of an unfair proceeding."—from the Preface

This is the inside story of an epic courtroom showdown between terrorism and the American legal system. On a snowy day in February 1993, a massive car bomb nearly toppled the World Trade Center. Four Middle Eastern men were quickly arrested and charged with the crime. At the time, Robert E. Precht was a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society Federal Defender Division in Manhattan, handling routine cases as a public defender. He was surprised to be appointed defense attorney to the chief suspect, Mohammad Salameh, and challenged as never before by the media circus that this major terrorism trial would prove to be. The events and personalities of the trial make for gripping reading, but equally compelling are Precht’s observations on the forces arrayed against fair trials for accused terrorists.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (August 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801441552
• ISBN-13: 978-0801441554
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,595,525 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating memoir, August 15, 2004

By	Mountain Climber (Anchorage, Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a riveting account of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing trial, from the view of one of the defense lawyers. Why is this book so good? The author is exceptionally candid: He openly discusses conflicts with the judge, with fellow defense counsel, with his client, and within himself. Rather than being self-serving -- as many of these memoirs are -- Precht gives us insight into the daily problems of defense counsel and the larger issue of trying accused terrorists within our criminal justice system. This book is easy to understand & leaves a lasting impression. If you are a current or future lawyer, or just interested in terrorism and civil liberties issues, read this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind the headlines, October 13, 2003

By A Customer

Precht has done a remarkable thing: He's made the courtroom drama of this trial both personal and a fascinating case study of justice in modern America. Perhaps more important today than when the trial took place a decade ago (the first foreign terrorist trial in the US), the book made me think about our current administration, the abridgement of our rights, and the constant balance of rights and protections in a democracy. Thanks.