The law of contempt — when "the refusal to testify is somehow transmogrified from a lock to a key."

Why the judge released the anarchist who would not testify.

Judge Keenan wrote that he was skeptical of [Gerald] Koch’s assertion that he knew nothing. He also disagreed with Mr. Koch’s belief that he had been singled out because of his views, writing, "There is simply no evidence that the government, threatened by Koch’s subversive prowess, seeks to bring him before a grand jury on a pretext, either to gain access to the treasure trove that is his circle of friends or to send an ominous message to political dissidents."

But the only relevant issue in deciding whether Mr. Koch should be released, Judge Keenan also wrote, hinged on whether continued incarceration could persuade him to testify....

"[C]ontinued confinement will not move Koch from the reflexive ideology that forbids his cooperation with the serious investigation at hand."