Libby’s term of supervised release upheld (with some fireworks)

Unsurprisingly, and in accord with all the parties’ suggestions, Judge Reggie Walton held today, in a ruling available here thanks to How Appealing, that Lewis Libby’s sentence of supervised release remains in effect.   Josh Gerstein, writing for the New York Sun, has more here. 

Judge Walton’s ruling is a great read, and the fireworks start with a lengthy first footnote that cites Rita, the government’s brief in Rita, a speech by the Attorney General and concludes by explaining that “it is fair to say that the Court is somewhat perplexed as to how its sentence could accurately be characterized as ‘excessive.'”

UPDATE:  Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog presents an overview and analysis of Judge Walton’s ruling in this post.