The man or woman responsible for presiding over the trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other suspected plotters of the 9/11 attacks will likely be chosen with the kind of machine that "might have been used to call out bingo numbers in a church fund-raiser," according to the Times. The 20-some active Manhattan federal court judges — as well as a few who are on senior status — will have their names put into a lottery machine to determine who will preside over the high profile case, which could last years, and will likely result in the assignment of around the clock security the rest of the judge's life.
There's a chance that prosecutors could seek an indictment that would result in the case being assigned to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who is currently presiding over another terror trial that could turn out raising similar issues to those in the 9/11 cases. But if not, the decision will be made by the wheel, and even though it may seem arcane and small-town-y, lawyer Donna R. Newman — who has represented clients including "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla — says it proves our nation's dedication to the rule of law. “This entire case coming to New York is to demonstrate to the world that the system works — and part of that system is the wheel.”
