Ammon Bundy to challenge authority of feds to prosecute Oregon standoff defendants

[jberryhill]

25. it's breaking the law in the belief one is serving a higher purpose

"Yes they are entitled to a defense but it has to be did they break the law or not"

Well that's just nonsense, in terms of how our legal system is structured.

Are you saying that Lawrence v. Texas should have been decided on "did they break the law or not"?

You have the right to challenge the basis of the law, even if you are stupid, and even if there is slim (to put it mildly) chance of success.

You can challenge the basis of a law if you have a "good faith" basis. "Did they break the law or not" has never been, nor should it be, the standard by which cases are judged.

I don't doubt the sincerity of their belief, and they have a right to have an attorney argue what they sincerely believe. That doesn't only apply to people who are correct. It also applies to people who are very, very misguided.

Was the Wounded Knee situation "an armed occupation of federal land"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_incident

Distinguish these two things, without reference to the substance of the beliefs and grievances of the occupiers.