Counter Terrorism Issues: Case Studies in the Courtroom

Counter Terrorism Issues: Case Studies in the Courtroom, Second Edition presents a panoramic view of the American judiciary’s handling of domestic terrorism in the last 30 years. As has played out in recent history, the American legal profession and judicial system bear a unique responsibility to set and maintain the balance between defending homeland security and protecting the civil liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights. These competing interests will continue to collide as the threats to our safety grow.

The book examines some of the most notorious cases--the two attacks on the World Trade Center, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the Fort Hood massacre. Updates from the First Edition include a reflection on the Boston Marathon bombing, as well as an examination of the events of January 6, 2021, the subsequent legal proceedings and convictions of those involved in the assault on the U.S. Capitol, and the danger arising from increased domestic extremism and violent rhetoric from the right.

Drawing extensively upon trial transcripts, witness statements, and judicial opinions, the book reviews the events and cases to demonstrate how the criminal justice system has grappled with conflicting facts and countervailing legal rights and responsibilities. Through the words of witnesses, judges, and the attorneys who tried these cases in America’s courtrooms, coverage provides important commentary on the historical/political contexts of these events, enabling readers to understand the significance of these infamous attacks on U.S. soil.

Dr. James Ottavio Castagnera, Esq., holds an M.A. in Journalism from Kent State University, and a J.D. and Ph.D. (American Studies) from Case Western Reserve University. He worked for ten years as a labor, employment, and intellectual-property attorney with the Saul Ewing law firm and 23 years as associate provost & legal counsel for academic affairs at Rider University, where in 2018 he received the university’s highest annual award for distinguished service. He was also a full-time law professor at UT-Austin and Widener University Law School.

Having retired from Rider in 2019, he is engaged in a portfolio of activities: President of Dr. Jim’s One-Stop HR Shop, a freelance writing, webinar and training company in the HR space; CEO of the International Artificial Intelligence Association, a think-tank dedicated to understanding the impacts of Generative AI; Of Counsel to Wilftek, a law firm specializing in IP; an Adjunct Professor of Law in the Kline School of Law at Drexel University, and chair of the advisory board of Drexel’s Data Privacy, Cybersecurity and Compliance Program.

He has 25 published books.