Is it an early Christmas present for Conrad Black? Facing the possibility of at least 15 years in jail, Black has won a 10-day postponement of his scheduled Nov. 30 sentencing. His lawyer Jeffrey Steinback had requested more time to review court documents.

On one level, it's good news for Black. But when you look at it closely, US District Judge Amy St. Eve has bent over backwards to run as fair a trial as possible and this latest decision delaying the sentence to December 10 is in keeping with that.

What she is doing is making the case as appeal-proof as possible. Whatever she decides, it won't be a good Christmas for Conrad Black.