MILLIKEN, VAN SUSTEREN & CANAN.
P.C.
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
511 E STREET. N.W.
WASHINGTON.D.C. 20001
TELEPHONE AREA CODE 202 393-7676
RT S. HANSEN**
RUSSELL F. CANAN*
STEPHEN G. MILLIKEN
KAREN M. SCHNEIDER
GRETA C. V VAN SUSTEREN *#
*ALSO ADMITTED IN MARYLAND
**ADMITTED IN VIRGINIA
#ALSO ADMITTED IN WISCONSIN
February 4, 1988
The Honorable Charles R.Richey
United States District Judge
United States Courthouse
Constitution Avenue
& John Marshal Place,
N.W. Washington, D.C. 20001
Re: United States v. Ellen B. Thomas
Dear Judge Richey:
I have been appointed to represent Ellen Thomas on more
than one occasion over the past several years, commencing with
a protracted "camping" trial in which the Honorable
Joyce Hens Green granted Ms. Thomas' motion for a judgment of
acquittal.
I write because of familiarity with the extensive efforts
Ms. Thomas and her husband have made to endeavor to conduct their
vigil within the tension between legitimate First Amendment protected
activities and those which traduce the regulations of the United
States. Where protest becomes a regulatory violation is not always
clear, and I do not write to question this Court's finding on
the merits. I just hope the Court will consider that Ms. Thomas
does not set out disobediently to traduce the law. She genuinely
honors her beliefs with continuing expressions that she sincerely
endeavors to have conform to the limit of her constitutional protections.
Her intentions are noble, and she has sought to work with
governmental authorities to fairly resolve the tension between
protected activities and regulatory violations during years when
the burgeoning regulations limiting protest around the White House
have made clear delineation of right and wrong difficult.
Finally, this letter of support is written simply to urge
the Court to act favorably on the requested motion for reduction
of sentence, as the message of general deterrence is well spread
by the punishment thus far imposed.
Respectfully submitted
//s// Stephen G. Milliken
Stephen G. Milliken