[News] National Lawyers Guild: Iowa Victory!

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NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD 143 Madison Avenue, NY NY 10016

Tel: 212.679.5100 <http://www.nlg.org>www.nlg.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 10, 2004

Contact: Michael Avery, President, 617-573-8551

Heidi Boghosian, Exec. Dir., 212-679-5100, ext. 11

NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD CLAIMS VICTORY

GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWS SUBPOENA

Legal/Activist Group Calls for Congressional Inquiry

Des Moines. The U.S. Attorney announced this afternoon that it withdrew the 
subpoena seeking records relating to the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) 
chapter at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Subpoenas directed at four 
activists were also withdrawn. The NLG subpoena sought records relating its 
leadership and to a forum held at Drake on November 15, 2003, the day 
before a protest at which 12 were arrested. A gag order placed on employees 
of Drake University has also been lifted.

NLG President Michael Avery said, "The government was forced to back down 
in this case and it shows that people can and should stand up to the 
government when it is abusing its powers. The Lawyers Guild is grateful to 
our many friends and allies who supported us in the face of this attack by 
the government. This experience demonstrates that the American people 
cherish their right of free expression and the right of political groups to 
dissent from government policies."

Late Monday night, prosecutors from the United States attorney's office for 
the southern district of Iowa issued a statement confirming their 
investigation but saying that its scope was limited to finding out more 
about one activist involved in a protest at an Iowa National Guard based in 
Johnston, Iowa, the day after the forum. Prosecutor Stephen Patrick O'Meara 
said in a statement, "The narrow purpose and scope of that inquiry has been 
narrowed to determine whether there were any violation s of federal law, or 
prior agreements to violate federal law, regarding unlawful entry onto 
military property
" Federal officials had previously refused to provide any 
information about the grand jury inquiry.

"This is a complete retreat by the U.S. Attorney and an unequivocal victory 
for the National Lawyers Guild and the peace movement in general. The Guild 
is calling for congressional hearings to determine the extent to which the 
FBI and Justice Department are gathering information on student political 
groups, said Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director of the Guild.

The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, comprises over 6,000 members 
and activists in the service of the people. Its national office is 
headquartered in New York and it has chapters in nearly every state, as 
well as over 100 law school chapters. Guild members provide legal support 
to progressive demonstrations throughout the country, and well understand 
the nationwide trend toward increasingly repressive measures deployed 
against political protesters.



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