As several readers pointed out to me, Ashcroft's Justice Department filed an amicus brief to uphold NYC's (wildly unsuccessful) ban of yesterday's anti-war protests. In other words, the Bush Administration did everything in its legal power to ban a protest against its policies.

I literally spent several hours this morning trying to get my hands on the DOJ brief. The appeals court didn't have it on its website, nor did the Department of Justice. The filings were probably too recent to be posted on any of the anti-war sites, United for Peace's site, or even that of the ACLU (which is leading the charge in this case).

Chances are this case (United for Peace and Justice v. Bloomberg) will be dismissed, now that the protest date has come and gone. However, the fact that the Bush Administration would try and use the courts to stiffle dissent is nothing short of astounding, and must be broadcast to as wide an audience as possible.

If anyone can get their hands on the DOJ brief please drop me a line. I suspect it will prove quite illuminating.