A New York federal judge Monday refused to throw out revised charges against lawyer Lynne Stewart, who will stand trial in May on charges of improperly aiding her former client, blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. The defense had argued the charges were brought vindictively after the Judge had dismissed terrrorism charges against her. Michael Tigar, Stewart's lawyer, remains upbeat:

Stewart's lawyer, Michael Tigar, said he was pleased that the judge in his ruling noted that the government might have a more difficult task proving its case than it did with charges he tossed out last year. Koeltl said prosecutors must prove that Stewart knew about or intended to support a conspiracy to kill or kidnap people in a foreign country. "He laid out the path that the government is going to have to try to take," Tigar said. "Now, we look forward to getting a jury and talking about these things."

Our prior coverage of the case can be accessed here.