Latest Adventure for Pirate: Capturing Courtroom Buzz

Over the years, New York courts have handled almost every kind of villain the world could cough up: mass murderers, mob kingpins, hell-bent terrorists, greedy politicians and Ponzi schemers.But it has been a long time, if ever, that a pirate has gone on trial.Now, with word that the United States government plans to try the Somali pirate captured in the daring Navy Seal operation that rescued an American cargo ship captain in the Indian Ocean, legal experts are abuzz about the challenges such a case would pose, as well as the opportunities.“The minute I heard they were bringing him to the United States,” said Benjamin Brafman, a defense lawyer, “my first instinct was, ‘Just what New York needs — another show trial that is going to heighten our security concerns and consume a courtroom for however many months it will take.’ ”
But he said the government might want to “demonstrate to the world that we take these crimes seriously, and that people who are caught are going to be given a trial, and there is going to be swift justice imposed if convicted.”..more..http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/nyregion/18defend.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss