The Law: Calley Loses

With a scathing denunciation of "massive adverse pretrial publicity," Federal Judge J. Robert Elliott last September threw out Army Lieut. William Calley's conviction for his part in the 1968 My Lai massacre. Last week 13 judges of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected Elliott's conclusion about news coverage. Otherwise, wrote Judge Robert A. Ainsworth Jr., "the inevitable results would be that truly heinous or notorious acts would go unpunished." Besides, he added, the members of the Calley court-martial panel were scrupulously examined for their ability to be fair and open-minded. Five appeals judges believed Calley was unconstitutionally denied access...