Death sentence upheld in U.S. Army case

By a 3-2 vote, the civilian U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces today upheld the death penalty case of Army Sergeant Hasan K. Akbar. The 193-page decision can be found here. Two judges dissented on the ground that the accused was denied the effective assistance of counsel. The case was before the court on mandatory review. It is now eligible for discretionary review by the Supreme Court of the United States on petition for a writ of certiorari.