U.S. Attorneys Retract Order to College to List Antiwar Protesters
Federal prosecutors withdrew a subpoena Tuesday ordering Drake University to turn over a list of people involved in an antiwar forum in November, as well as subpoenas ordering four activists to testify before a grand jury.
Brian Terrell, leader of the Catholic Peace Ministry and one of the four, told a crowd of about 100 cheering people outside the federal courthouse: “We made them want to stop, and we have to make sure they never want to do this again.”
The U.S. attorney’s office had no immediate comment on why the subpoenas were withdrawn one day after federal prosecutor Stephen O’Meara issued a statement acknowledging an investigation was underway.
O’Meara said the focus of the probe was alleged trespassing at the Iowa National Guard headquarters in Johnston that happened while a protest against the war in Iraq was taking place nearby on Nov. 16. He said the protest, in which 12 people were arrested, was not the problem.
The antiwar forum at Drake University was held the previous day.
Drake was preparing legal motions to fight the subpoena when Steve Serck, a lawyer representing the school, received word it had been dropped.
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