Late last week, CNN reported that the Justice Department is close to bringing criminal charges against Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks and a longtime resident of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that Assange’s arrest is now a “priority.” DOJ has struggled for some time to determine whether and how to charge Assange. Part of the difficulty comes from articulating distinctions between what Assange did and what reputable news outlets do when they publish leaked information. Below I consider possible charges against Assange, summarize the foreign legal proceedings to date, and then explore how a U.S. extradition request to Sweden (or the UK!) might play out.
Citation
Ashley S. Deeks, Will the United States Be Able to Extradite Assange?, Lawfare (April 27, 2017).