Treason used to be punished with a short rope and a tall tree.

He was sentences to a set amount of time and served most of that time. Sounds like it is an issue with the length of sentence he was given by a judge. It appears that he has met his obligation and paid his debt to society under the law. I guess if enough people have a problem with the sentence, they could petition the courts to have higher minimum mandatory sentencing.

While I also don't agree that he should be out of prison, I sure hope the courts don't decide to just start changing sentence lengths because of public opinion or how they feel. I could be the next victim of that slippery slope. Oh, Rob looks like you were sentenced to a year in jail for speeding, well, now you see, some folks think you may have voted for Hillary and well we can't be having that... so How's about we extend that through the next election cycle.

Now, go on get back in your cell, we'll let you know when you're getting out.



Maybe that is why the crackpots want inmates to be able to vote.

Looks like the problem was Michael Chertoff, then-head of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He directed prosecutors to offer Lindh a plea bargain...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Walker_Lindh


On February 5, 2002, Lindh was indicted by a federal grand jury on ten charges:[37]
Conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals
Two counts of providing material support and resources to terrorist organizations
One count of supplying services to the Taliban
Conspiracy to contribute services to Al Qaeda
Contributing services to Al Qaeda
Conspiracy to supply services to the Taliban
Using and carrying firearms and destructive devices during crimes of violence

If convicted of these charges, Lindh could have received up to three life sentences and 90 additional years in prison. On February 13, 2002, he pleaded not guilty to all 10 charges.[37] The court scheduled an evidence suppression hearing, at which Lindh would have been able to testify about the details of the torture to which he claimed he was subjected. The government faced the problem that a key piece of evidence – Lindh's confession – might be excluded from evidence as having been forced under duress (i.e. torture).

Michael Chertoff, then-head of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, then directed the prosecutors to offer Lindh a plea bargain. Lindh could plead guilty to two charges: supplying services to the Taliban (50 U.S.C. § 1705(b), 18 U.S.C. § 2, 31 C.F.R. 545.204, and 31 C.F.R. 545.206a) and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony (18 U.S.C. § 844(h)(2)). He would have to consent to a gag order that would prevent him from making any public statements on the matter for the duration of his 20-year sentence, and he would have to drop any claims that he had been mistreated or tortured by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and aboard two military ships during December 2001 and January 2002. In return, all other charges would be dropped. The gag order was said to be at the request of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.[10]

Lindh accepted this offer. On July 15, 2002, he entered his plea of guilty to the two remaining charges. The judge asked Lindh to say, in his own words, what he was admitting to: "I plead guilty. I provided my services as a soldier to the Taliban last year from about August to December. In the course of doing so, I carried a rifle and two grenades. I did so knowingly and willingly knowing that it was illegal." Lindh said that he "went to Afghanistan with the intention of fighting against terrorism and oppression", fighting for the suffering of ordinary people at the hands of the Northern Alliance.[10] On October 4, 2002, Judge T.S. Ellis III imposed a sentence of 20 years in federal prison.[38]

Very good post.
And I don't think the incarcerated should vote, but anyone who has served the time they were sentenced to and met ALL fines and financial obligations, should have the right to vote again.

I know getting your rights restored isn't popular around here, but I agree. When you have paid your debt to society, you should get all of your rights restored. All of them....

only a dozen people in the USA have ever been convicted of Treason the last one in 1949 for spreading Nazi propaganda in the US during WWII.

our founders set the bar very very high for what is necessary to be convicted of treason having come from a governance where it was a catch all for the authorities didn't like you.

most felons who serve their time and finish parole can vote again in most states with little to no process necessary.

I how ever feel if you can't own a gun you should not be able to vote . period.

Only three were actually put to death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_convicted_of_treason


Philip Vigol and John Mitchell, convicted of treason and sentenced to hanging; pardoned by George Washington; see Whiskey Rebellion.

John Fries, the leader of Fries' Rebellion, convicted of treason in 1800 along with two accomplices, and pardoned that same year by John Adams.

Governor Thomas Dorr 1844, convicted of treason against the state of Rhode Island; see Dorr Rebellion; released in 1845; civil rights restored in 1851; verdict annulled in 1854.

John Brown, convicted of treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1859 and executed for attempting to organize armed resistance to slavery.

Aaron Dwight Stevens, took part in John Brown's raid and was executed in 1860 for treason against Virginia.

William Bruce Mumford, convicted of treason and hanged in 1862 for tearing down a United States flag during the American Civil War.

Walter Allen was convicted of treason on September 16, 1922 for taking part in the 1921 Miner's March with the coal companies and the US Army on Blair Mountain, West Virginia. He was sentenced to 10 years and fined. During his appeal to the Supreme Court he disappeared while out on bail. United Mineworkers of America leader William Blizzard was acquitted of the charge of treason by the jury on May 25, 1922.[12]

Martin James Monti, United States Army Air Forces pilot, convicted of treason for defecting to the Waffen SS in 1944. He was paroled in 1960.

Robert Henry Best, convicted of treason on April 16, 1948 and served a life sentence.

Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who is frequently identified by the name "Tokyo Rose", convicted 1949. Subsequently, pardoned by President Gerald Ford.

Mildred Gillars, also known as "Axis Sally", convicted of treason on March 8, 1949; served 12 years of a 10- to 30-year prison sentence.

Tomoya Kawakita, sentenced to death for treason in 1952, but eventually released by President John F. Kennedy to be deported to Japan.

Herbert John Burgman, convicted of treason in 1949 during WWII for spreading Nazi propaganda.