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Lieutenant Colonel Paul Lewis Hackett III (born October 21, 1963) is an American lawyer and veteran of the Iraq War who unsuccessfully sought election to the United States Congress from the Second District of Ohio in the August 2, 2005, special election. Hackett, a Democrat, narrowly lost to Republican Jean Schmidt, a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, providing the best showing in the usually solidly Republican district by any Democrat since the 1974 election. Hackett's campaign attracted national attention and substantial expenditures by both parties. It was viewed by some observers as the first round of the 2006 elections. In October 2005, Hackett said he would seek the Democratic nomination in 2006 to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Mike DeWine; however, he dropped out of the race on February 14, 2006, and said that he would return to his law practice.
On April 9, 2009, Hackett, acting as defense counsel to Sgt. Ryan Weemer, USMC, obtained an acquittal on charges of murdering an insurgent in Fallujah on November 9, 2004, the Second Battle of Fallujah's first day. Weemer had contacted Hackett two years earlier after he had successfully represented other Marines charged with violations of the law of war in Haditha in November 2005. Hackett represented Weemer pro bono. When asked why, Hackett stated that "these Marines protected me when I was in Fallujah, it's the least I could do." The trial lasted two weeks after which the 8 member court martial deliberated for 8 hours and announced its decision acquitting Weemer of all charges and specifications, to unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty. Weemer's acquittal was awarded by the 8 member jury despite the government's introduction into evidence of Weemer's audio confession to the alleged violations of war. Despite the audio confession, the 8 member jury was persuaded by Hackett's argument and through his cross examination of NCIS Special Agent Fox that Weemer had been coerced into confessing to the charged offenses by his interrogators; namely NCIS Special Agent Fox.
This is the only known instance in American Jurisprudence that a jury acquitted a defendant of murder charges after the acceptance into evidence by the trial court and publication to the jury of the defendant's alleged audio confession.