The Grammar Police Nail the Gray Lady

In this piece about the latest twists and turns of the Padilla case, New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau writes:

Ms. Newman said she expected that the Supreme Court might decide at its Jan. 13 conference whether to hear Mr. Padilla's case, which the Bush administration argues is now mute because of the pending criminal charges against him.

It's a sad day when the "newspaper of record's" legal reporter doesn't know the difference between "mute" and "moot." "Mute" just means "silent, unable to speak," while "moot" in this context means "no longer a matter of controversy."

The layers of editors who are supposed to insure accuracy must be on Christmas break.

Ninety days in jail, stayed; one year on unsupervised probation and 50 hours of community service.