Ban word terrorist from U.S. trials

Defense lawyers want the word "terrorist" banned as too inflammatory in the U.S. trial of Jose Padilla and two other men charged with conspiring to aid Islamist extremists overseas.

Ban word terrorist from U.S. trial, lawyer asks. The word conjures up visions of someone with a bomb belt blowing up himself and others in a crowded cafe, Jeanne Baker, an attorney representing co-defendant Adham Amin Hassoun, said during a hearing in the high-profile case on Friday.

"The word terrorist has nothing to do with this case," Baker said. "The word terrorist is used to label an enemy."

U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke, who has set trial for April 16, did not immediately rule on the request. But one of the prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley, noted during the hearing that "'Terrorist' has no standard definition."