If you're just skimming HN, the title doesn't do it justice. The "courtroom farce" part makes up the bulk of the article. tl;dr the magistrate in charge of thi

If you're just skimming HN, the title doesn't do it justice. The "courtroom farce" part makes up the bulk of the article. tl;dr the magistrate in charge of this court hearing was nakedly taking ongoing instructions from the US embassy, and ignoring procedural irregularities such as the CIA spying on Assange's private legal counsel. Any appearance of "procedure" here is only to lend a thin veneer of legitimacy to extra-legal bullying of Assange by the US.