anonymous letter to U.S. Judge David G. Trager on rejection of Arar's lawsuit against U.S.

I put myself in the place of this poor man and am far more terrified by what he has suffered at the direction of our own government than the potential actions of any foreign terrorists. I am ashamed that this man suffered so greviously in all our names. Torture and rendition are morally wrong and illegal by so many standards, and I believe that you believe that. Aren't you ashamed as an American, and frightened that this horror could happen to any one of us? As Thomas Jefferson said, I tremble for my country when I remember that God is just.

I am writing to ask you and your fellow judges to stand firm on the rights of the people who come before you, to preserve the power and integrity of the judiciary. Maybe there was a lot of pressure on you to opt out of ruling on this case, but I think judges have a responsibility to
preserve due process even if the effort to do so must be heroic.

I don\'t know you, Judge Trager, but I do know that bones of our democracy are broken each time judges put anything ahead of protecting our Constitutional rights and the common good. Judges like yourself are all we have to preserve our rights and to help us redress dreadful wrongs. We are depending on you and your colleagues. Please don't let us down.

(Anonymous)