[danielweber]

"Legal defense fund" is a fairly standard thing to have. And lawyers usually are happy to extend credit to people like Aaron and wait to be repaid later.

This doesn't eliminate the fact that trials are extremely expensive, guilty or innocent, but it slightly ameliorates it.

[jacquesm]

I think Lawrence Lessig knows a bit more about this, one line in his piece stuck out for me, it reads:

"yet unable to appeal openly to us for the financial help he needed to fund his defense".

I'm not sure what the background on that line is but it definitely makes you curious.

[Evbn]

That was a cryptic statement in the Lessig post.

We're Aarons assets frozen? Was he banned from Internet as a condition of bail?

[tptacek]

If it was that simple, would Lessig have said so after the case became moot?

I'm confused about this too.

[danielweber]

Either of "Aaron's lawyers were required to bill upfront" or "Aaron was not permitted to set up a legal defense fund" would be huge civil rights issues. A lot huger than the narrative of a out-of-control prosecutor out for Aaron's head.

Lessig really really needs to explain that sentence.