I am shocked that Boston College will not appeal this decision. It seems very likely to me that this is a political action, not a purely criminal investigation, on the part of the British Government, the same Government that ordered extrajudicial assassinations of suspected IRA members on foreign soil. The British are very good at official secrets for themselves and it is at least ironic if not morally inappropriate of them to use OUR system to track down those who resisted their oppression. This issue deserves the most careful scrutiny and Judge Young's decision should have been appealed. In the long term, the efforts of the scholars at BC provide much more value to the cause of peace and justice than anything gained from allowing the Protestant Police Force of Northern Ireland to pursue their narrow (political) goals.

But the Brits don't care about all killings equally: http://aprnonline.com/?p=87888

Boston College's regard for academic freedom seems to have reached a low point.

The judge followed the law as he is supposed to do, but I have serious misgivings about the British government dragging up these crimes committed during what was a kind of civil war in Northern Ireland. I don't think an appeal would be productive because of the treaty. The Supreme Court has ruled in the past that treaties can trump the Constitution and, in any case, none of those involved are American citizens nor did the killing occur on American soil. People died on both sides in Northern Ireland and none of it can be undone. Maybe the British should just be happy that it's over and leave it at that.