Lynne Stewart, the former criminal defense attorney who is in declining health, was ordered released from prison by a federal judge on New Year’s Eve. Southern District Judge John Koeltl (See Profile), who presided over Stewart’s 2005 trial for providing material support to terrorist activity, granted a motion Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Southern District U.S. Attorney’s office to modify Stewart’s prison term and grant her compassionate release.
The 74-year-old Stewart suffers from recurrent Stage IV breast cancer and oncologists reported to the government that she is expected to live no longer than 18 months. She is being held at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas and is expected to move into her son’s home in Brooklyn.
