— FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —

May 1 Hearing

On May 1, 2013 Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney will determine “what, if anything should be done in utilizing [Barrett’s legal defense] funds towards the repayment of costs for Defendant’s court appointed representation.” Barrett’s supporters are delighted to announce that, after a long search, we have found a legal team that combines trial experience, tech-proficiency and a passion for justice. Attorneys Charles Swift and Ahmed Ghappour will be making an appearance in Barrett’s case this week.

We hope that the Court will turn over these funds to Barrett’s counsel of choice — per donors’ intent. The hearing will be held at 11:30AM at the Federal Courthouse, 1100 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75242. If you are in Dallas, please come out and show your support.

About the Legal Team

Charles Swift is an attorney and former Navy officer, who retired in 2007 as a Lieutenant Commander in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. While in the JAG Corps, he worked principally in the area of criminal defense, earning a reputation as a premier trial attorney. Most noteworthy is his quest for justice at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, concluding with the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.

He has received numerous awards for his advocacy, including recognition as a Distinguished Alumnus at Seattle University School of Law, ACLU’s Roger Baldwin Medal for Distinguished Service, and was runner-up for Lawyer of the Year in 2005 as well as being named one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in 2006 by the National Law Journal. Following his military career, Charles was a visiting professor and head of the Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, before leaving to enter private practice in Seattle.

Ahmed Ghappour (@amadooooo) is a Clinical Instructor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He also directs the National Security Defense Project, an access to justice initiative that raises constitutional challenges in national security and cyber security cases.

Before founding the NSDP, he worked with Charles Swift, and took numerous national security cases to trial. Prior to that, Ahmed was a Staff Attorney at Reprieve UK, where he represented Guantanamo detainees in their habeas corpus proceedings and challenged the US Extraordinary Renditions Program. He was also a senior legal advisor at a Cairo based human rights organization, where he worked on security sector reform, transparency and privacy, and international accountability litigation. Ahmed is also a computer engineer and hacked on high performance computers at SGI, Inc. before pursuing a career in the law.

For press inquiries please contact press@freebarrettbrown.org
PDF of this press release

For more information, or to support Barrett’s defense see here.