Mr. Minor's prosecution, like the others in this scandal, gave a big boost to the Republican Party.
"It is because of prosecutions like this that we have prevented another attack against the United States," Mr. Scott said.
"The challenge, which we and the F.B.I. continue to meet with investigations and prosecutions like this one, is to stay ahead of the cyber-criminal and protect legitimate commerce".
And worry that criminal prosecutions like this threaten journalists--and the public's right to know--everywhere.
I knew that the prosecution, like the defense, had one job to do, and if it did it poorly, then it ought to lose the case.
The Snipes prosecution, like the three earlier cases that resulted in full acquittals, appears to have backfired.
After a criminal trial the prosecution, like the defense, is entitled to appeal the verdict and the sentence to a higher court.
Nutt said there should be testing facilities for users, without fear of prosecution, like those in the Netherlands, or safe doses of pure MDMA should be available to registered users.
"There has never been a prosecution remotely like this," said Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor and the executive director of the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has filed a motion in support of Mr. Edwards in the case.
"There haven't been many prosecutions quite like this, so it's hard to know how it will play out," said Louis Raveson, a professor at Rutgers law school.
