As the frissons of the WikiLeaks disclo-sures fade and cyberwars between its foes and fans sputter and flare, legal questions are becoming central: how can America bring the site's founder, Julian Assange, to court. The answer to that may lie in Britain, where Mr Assange is battling an extradition request from Swedish prosecutors who want to question him on sexual-assault charges. Extradition from Britain to Sweden is normally a formality, though Mr Assange's lawyers argue that "ulterior motives" are at work. On December 14th a court in London adjourned the hearing until January nth. It also granted Mr Assange bail; oddly, the British (not Swedish) authorities appealed against that. This helps stoke fears among Mr Assange's supporters that the Swedish case is just a ruse to keep him behind bars pending eventual extradition to America.
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