DONNA R. NEWMAN, a court-appointed lawyer, knew something big was up when she showed up for a routine court date and a retinue of federal marshals refused to let her carry a pen into the courtroom. She had, by the luck of the draw, just become the lawyer for Jose Padilla, accused of planning to explode a radioactive “dirty bomb” in the United States. Since that moment last May, Ms. Newman, 55, a mother of two grown daughters and a lawyer in private practice who more typically defends suspects in drug cases, has been locked in a bitter dispute with the United States government. It is a battle that could have broad ramifications for how the country deals with terrorist threats. The outcome of the case could also, more important, define what rights can be stripped away from citizens in the name of national security. Full Story