In what some are calling one of the largest gaffes in federal court history, Carla Martin, a Transportation Security Administration attorney, has been placed on leave for her role in complicating the trial of 9/11 suspect Zacharias Moussaoui. Ms. Martin has been accused of sending transcripts of court testimony to potential witnesses for the prosecution, along with her notes and suggestions. This was in direct violation of U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema’s court order instructing witnesses to avoid monitoring or discussing court proceedings until after they had testified. This, of course, violates Law 101, one of those things that you learn in law school… don’t tick off the judge.
Defense attorneys had hoped that the revelations would result in a mistrial, and arguments had been made that the death penalty would have to be withdrawn as a possible sentence, but ultimately Judge Brinkema barred the witnesses who received the emails from testifying as well as any aviation evidence to be offered. This evidence and testimony represented approximately half of the prosecution’s death penalty case.
For more information about Ms. Martin (not our Ms. Martin), who claims she has been “viciously vilified”, check out this story from CNN.com.
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