Matt Apuzzo, writing in the New York Times, reports that one of retiring Attorney General Eric Holder's legacies is shifting terrorism cases from military tribunals to the civilian courts: "Five years ago, the debate over whether terrorists should be prosecuted in criminal courts was so contentious that it made its chief advocate, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., a political liability. Republicans argued that F.B.I. interrogation was not suited to wartime intelligence-gathering. By extension, civilian courtrooms were no place for terrorists, who did not deserve the same rights as common criminals." In contrast, Guantanamo Bay tribunals have had problems, including two convictions overturned on appeal.
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