Into Its Second Week, Jack Thompson Trial Resumes Today
Into Its Second Week, Jack Thompson Trial Resumes Today
December 3, 2007
The famous Scopes Monkey Trial lasted only eight days.The prosecution of Jack Thompson by the Florida Bar may take considerably longer.
Although information from the courtroom of referee Judge Dava Tunis is sketchy, GamePolitics has learned a few more details of Thompson's desperate fight to save his license to practice law.
For example, while the Bar set aside last week to hear the case, that time frame has already been exceeded. Direct testimony and Thompson's cross-examination of seven witnesses for the prosecution consumed most of the week. Thompson only began his defense on Friday afternoon.
Testifying in support of complaints made about the controversial attorney to the Florida Bar were:
Judge James Moore: He revoked Thompson's pro hac vice (visiting) license to practice law in Alabama in 2005 based on Thompson's conduct in Strickland vs. Sony.
Clatus Junkin: Thompson has alleged that Junkin, an Alabama attorney, claimed he could fix cases before Judge Moore.
Jim Smith and Rebecca Ward: Both are attorneys for Philadelphia law firm Blank-Rome. They were Thompson's opposing counsel in the Strickland case.
Judge Ron Friedman: He presided over the 2006 Bully case.
Al Cardenas & Lawrence Kellogg: Both are attorneys for Florida law firm Tew Cardenas; this one relates to Thompson's ongoing campaign against his other favorite target, shock radio.
I had a rather brief (and not entirely pleasant) e-mail exchange about the case with Thompson over the weekend. He asserted that he was winning and that the trial would go on for weeks.
Comments
Some doubts in the mind, Jacky?
Yeah, that is Thompson to a T
At least if he has to go through a seperate lawyer things like 'where is the evidence' start to be considered before everyone is in court.
I suspect he'll still be free to act as other people's lawyer, there's no law about being a bad lawyer, but his habit of vexatious litigation, and especially his method of pulling facts out of nowhere without any real supportive evidence (remember the vibrating controller or 'nobody shoots anyone in the face' etc?) have proved embarrassing for the Bar in general because it makes them all look unprofessional.
That said, I don't know the entirety of the charges levelled against him, there's a thin line between stating opinion and libel. Claiming that a Judge can be bribed is not an opinion, it is a rumour, and one that was put about to deliberately attempt to gain leverage for Jack, that in itself could land him in very hot water, it's not un-akin to attempting to gain an advantage through Blackmail, the rumour doesn't have to be true, people just have to believe it.
That's probably why the trial will take a long time. Takes a while to properly dot the i's and cross the t's. Give him time to blow everything the first time, then there's no chance.
That's not to say he won't try, no matter what.
Ah, that first point is something i forgot to add before. Thanks for reminding me there.
So how will you celebrate Jack-Tommy Day? I hope it doesn't fall on Valentine's Day, although St. Patrick's Day would be good.
The thing is, all of Jack's kicking and screaming is basically him refusing to accept lesser forms of discipline. Given that he's been a problem in the past, and it's taken this much effort just to give him more than a slap on the wrist, the Bar is likely to opt to just plain rid themselves of him rather than repeat this 3 ring circus in another 5 years
Don't forget about the marshmallows, to be roasted over the smoldering remains of a career gone down in flames.
Indeed.... in the words of the Sega Rally announcer:
Game Over yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
@Gameboy:
Exactly. Thread (and Thompson's career) over. :P
@Vinzent:
MADNESS? THIS! IS! THOMPSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
(I sincerely apologize for the preceding stupidity.)
@smeagol23:
Sounds about right, LOL.
I can see his defense following the pattern of his motions and last minute gasps to get the case dismissed. He will blame others, bring up what they do for a living, insinuate wrongdoings on their part, and the judge will ignore each of these, telling him time and time again, "This is not relevant to the trial at hand."
I think at best he will be able to drag the trial out, but eventually they will disbar him.
What would be worse is the idea of:
Jack Thompson Televangelist aka Gods Angry Man
He is already used to preaching about the "evils of games" and there are always some that are will follow such in blind devotion. He gets to continue his television attacks on games (and stroke his ego) and might be in a position to cause some damage when actually backed by religion.
His would be an amusing sermon (irony) when you consider in his rudeness, general lying and passing the blame for his mistakes (sorry I keep forgetting he does not make mistakes... hmmmm) on others.
Even as an agnostic that leaves a bad taste.
Wait I have a name for it. The church of The Lying Scapegoat.
Yeah, so you. You ever consider joining the forums? We've got a few veterans but no lawyers. Plus we need someone to counter Pandralisk.
Walker T
In jacks case winning means no jail time ^_~
"...would be dragged out as long as possible." I think would be more fitting.
Jack's boned.
A Thought: a long trial is not a sign of a sure victory. In fact, it's the opposite. If your victory were so certain, there would be no need to take so much time to verify this, and the case would end quickly. That it does not means that your victory is uncertain, as they need to spend much time to determine wither or not your innocent.
Also, you're desperate, flailing attempts to stall the case suggest that you are in fact in trouble. If you were so sure you were going to win this, you wouldn't feel the need to stall as much as possible. You are stalling, therefor you clearly fear something about this trial, I wonder what that is...
I guarantee if he does get disbarred, he'll claim it as a victory, that he planned it all along and the video game industry is falli ng into his trap. Or something along those lines.
The man is simply completely incapable of admitting that anything he does/thinks could ever be wrong
So winning is dragging the hearing out for weeks. Lovely. So much for a happy Christmas for the Thompson Family.
John Bruce to Family, "I know it is Christmas morning, but I made sure that the trial would continue through today so that I could blame it on the vast conspiracy to silence me."
Well, at least when he gets disbarred, the Florida taxpayer's money won't be entirely wasted.
Expect this to go into the New Year, folks. You know that when he loses, he's going to appeal. He's got nothing to lose by appealing, and will probably get a stay against enforcing any disbarrment until after the appeal is heard, which could take years.
I have to believe Christmas for the Thompson family involves him dragging his son around to malls and trying to get the Santas there to promise him an M-rated game for Christmas.
Poor guy, he's in denial. :(
*Coughs*
LOL!
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Jack claiming that he is winning - if this "win" is consistent with past "wins" then I'm keeping the Guinness chilled and on standby. The weather here has been a bit wet and rainy, not suitable weather for s'mores, but one can still use the microwave in a pinch.
Thompson: "Your honor, i'd like to add the Union of Store Santas as witnesses to the growing, undeniable conspiracy against me"
Judge: "And *snigger* your evidence for this?"
Thompson: "Santa promised my to get my son Crysis for christmas"
Seriously, though, if this is JB winning, i'd LOVE to see what JB losing is like...
Tic toc you still can't stop the clock.
It reminds me of the line Gomez Addams said in the first Addams Family movie: "They say the man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. Well as god is my witness, I am that fool!"
poor jack, i think he's seen too many courtroom drama movies.
Of course he broke said order and nothing came of it, just the icing on the cake for the judge and jury to consider.
If he can really hope to counter the many discrepancies (spelling) that he has commited by claiming that he did it for the children, ensuring that they would not be exposed to such "terrible evil videogames" then I will be extremely surprised and will probably regain what little respect I had for the man (that is of course before he went absolutely senile).
And as a public personal for Jackie (John Brucie) Thompson, "give up the act, you will find plenty more work as a lawyer in a retirement home resolving the case of the missing dentures!"
In closing why does this man still exist anyway? if his theories are to be believed then we have already chainswed him, shot him, beaten him, grenaded him and pushed him off of a building (etcetera) however none of this has actually happened!
TTFN
(all words posted here are the opinion of Pominator, CEO of Green Phoenix industries (c) 2028, by reading this fine print your soul and body are now exclusively the property of Pominator, any action you take is because Pominator says so, you are allowed to breathe)
Likely why they didn't do anything about it. It was a legal agreement, and Thompson broke it.
And using online gaming logic, isn't it usually the hotshot who says he'll own everybody before the match really starts the first to get owned when the match actually starts?
Anyway it happens, and since the world's favourite lawyer fits into said position, I think this will be fun to watch, anyone got a live eCast of this?
They could make JT's life into a situational comedy show on E4!
(all words posted here are the opinion of Pominator, CEO of Green Phoenix industries (c) 2028, by reading this fine print your soul and body are now exclusively the property of Pominator, any action you take is because Pominator says so, you are allowed to breathe)
he really needs to lay off the acid, because he seems to be getting these hallucinations more often than usual nowadays.
I find a great amount of LULz in this. Reaching near Epic levels, to be sure.
- The Bully case
- Take Two's "agreement" with him
- Having this disbarrment case thrown out
- Getting the President to testify
- The Louisiana bill
Nicely done. You win the internets for a day.
For someone always so confident of his victories I really don't remember him ever winning anything.
Jack: "Judge Friedman, isn't it true that you exposed children to gay sex?"
Prosecutor: "Your honor, I believe we've reached our burden of proof. I'd like to rest my case."
if someone gets a point, he racks up his own personal score by 5?
when this is over, i'll miss the lolz.
I can see it now
"are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender".
But Jack, you were disbarred three months ago
*foam comes from his mouth*
I'm suprised..
Yes Sean, it has qualified him to lose his license. He actually makes the Florida Bar Association look bad by being allowed to practice under them.
Quite.
Why aren't we selling victory T-Shirts?
It is when he pulls the "I'm right, everyone else is wrong, the world (which is flat, prove me wrong in 2 milliseconds or i'm right. HAH!) is ending, i'm your savior, everyone in the universe is all out to get me, even the judges and the president, i'm jesus, etc etc etc." card.
Not to mention he fails to follow basic rules (ie, the judge cannot be a defendant in a trial said judge is presiding over simultaneously; and court filings are supposed to be text-only, yet he sent actual pictures of gay sex acts in them, among other things)
I'm aware of everything he's done and how he's behaved, but this is the American legal system we're talking about.
He's a waste of the Florida Bar's time, money, and effort. You know it, i know it, they know it.
Bah, you beat me to the Baghdad Bob reference! =)
I can't imagine having to face any colleagues after going through something like that. This would also have a terrible effect on getting retained by any client. This will never be forgotten by the legal community where he practices.
This is no 'victory' no matter what the eventual outcome.
Jack Thompson Forever!
You forget two things:
1) Jack has very little dignity when it comes to his actual profession. He rates his successes based on the number of times he appears on TV talk shows, not the number of cases he wins.
2) Jack's reputation in the local legal community was already bad from previous disbarment attempts, and the whole "Janet Reno" thing.
I prefer "When your attack is going well you have just walked into an ambush."
@ ApokalypseNow
Save a Guinness for me too, I'll bring the Jameson's so we can toast the death of his career.
I do get the feeling that most of his 'cross-examination' was stalling tactics and irrelevant claims similar to a child who knows they are in trouble but is trying to prolong the punishment (and usually end up making it worse). Perhaps he can get a job later as a sidewalk preacher, or one of those guys who wears "The end is nigh" signs. Oh wait, I know, legal advisor to Hillary Clinton!
with you, everyday you say your winning, it must be opposite day.
also: put down the briefcase, and get a life.
I think that'll be the greatest Christmas present any of us could recieve.
If everything were to become perfectly orderly in his view, what else does he have to do? Maybe write another book explaining his success? Well, that's still hardly thrilling. Is Jack purposely trying to keep his enemies alive?
"So winning is dragging the hearing out for weeks. Lovely. So much for a happy Christmas for the Thompson Family."
This is why I've been saying that we shouldn't expect a ruling this year. You can be sure that the xmas week there will be no court in session, and probably half the week before. A week and a half for this trial to complete and a final ruling? Doubt it.
So, if Thompson's objective is to remain a lawyer until next year, then maybe he is going to succeed.
It's the American piss-about system. You don't like someone, you can sue them regardless of what they have or have not done.
As an American Criminologist, let me tell you that he should be fucked over by all rights.
@Black Ice
We need to know the date of his disbarrment before we can make shirts my good man.
I forget who it was, i think it might have been Jabberwock, who pointed out that lawyers rarely get disbarred permanently without being punished many times beforehand... and as far as Jack's record goes, while he recieved many complaints and conducted himself in a poor manner, the Bar has not punished him many times in the past. And one must recall is that, unlike how he REALLY talks, in the court room he tends to put on a better show, acting in a civil manner and not with his usual hate and immaturity (frankly, i kind of wish we could use his posting on GP or his wikiquote as evidence against him... though grant it, since this is about his job as a lawyer, only how he acts when he is working really counts and his postings on gp are all off the clock personal stuff).
So we are probably gonna be looking at a temporary loss of License at best and nothing permanent (which is what may happen the next time he crosses the line to many times); especially if it turns out this really is a long trial... i mean, if it takes a long time to prove his guilt then the court will probably feel that he doesn't deserve a permanent disbarment since the evidence isn't heavy enough against him (where as if they find him guilty quickly they will be more harsh on his punishment)... Frankly, a temporary disbarment isn't what we want but it's a good first leap to his fall
@aresil
That was a poor parody... i mean, really, Crysis? don't you know that Jack Thompson only pays attention to Rockstar games.
Though seriously, one thing that's funny about the whole Gamespot thing going on right now, is that it reminds me how Kane and Lynch (amongst other games) got released without the slightest bit of notice.
As always, keep up the great work on here Dennis!
I'd love to see it as well. Probably told Dennis off in a number of ways. Just goes to show his state of mind. Probably frantic by now, knowing he's beat. Probably grasping at straws here trying to keep his licence.
At least when anyoen else goes into anambush they might think "Gee, I could have made a mistake"
Sorry, let me rephrase. At least when a normal person walks into an ambush they might think "Damn, I made a mistake" instead of "I'm won already"
One of the reasons most lawyers take multiple disciplinary steps for full disbarment are because of the degree of their indiscretions. Jack has, without fail in every court case he's lost, fired off dozens of "press releases" in which he defames sitting judges. I'm no lawyer, but that sounds like rather severe behavior.
Remember, you can get life in prison on the first offense if it's severe enough.
If he isn't out by Febuary 1st, I owe you a few rifles.
She wants out. Whether she'll get it is another matter entirely.
As I said, T-Shirts for all.
"Jack claiming that he is winning - if this “win” is consistent with past “wins” then I’m keeping the Guinness chilled and on standby."
Save a pint for me, dude.
1)"Baghdad Bob" was just doing his job
2) He was displaying a hell of a lot courage by doing so, particularly in comparison to most of the rest of that government
3) He knew when it was over and time to call it quits and go take up something else.
Jack's got none of these.
I understand this, believe me.
However, you have to understand that this man is actually making the organization look bad not only in Florida, but in the rest of the country. He's a huge black eye for the Bar of Florida, and that is why I beleive he's going to be fucked over.
Well, perhaps it'd be better if he extended the way he talks in the courtroom at least to the files he sends TO said court, which, as it seems, has yet to happen.
We've discussed in another thread naming it an Internet holiday, complete with beer, punch, cake, cookies and other celebratory snacks.
And free T-Shirts.
I have to believe Christmas for the Thompson family involves him dragging his son around to malls and trying to get the Santas there to promise him an M-rated game for Christmas.
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actually, i was thinking, JT probably celebrates the season by dragging his son to all the malls, forcing him into santa's lap, then sueing santa for sexual misconduct with a minor by virtue of having young boys sit in his lap.
Those work too.
Who's footing the bill? Anyone think we can get JT to pay for all this stuff?
It won't stifle him, no, but it means that all his ramblings lose their clout, as he can no longer prosecute on his own and no sane lawyer would bother to sue the people he sues for the reasons he sues them.
And Jack will still be around, he'll probably even still be able to get on TV. Losing his lawyering powers won't stop him.
"Hell, no, I ain't had no conversation with that crazy ol' bastard about no Judge Moore and no case-fixin'. No, Siree. Heck, can't ya'll see that the man's as crazy as a three-legged mule on market day? Whoooweee!"
If Thompson try to discredit them as he did in his court files (by calling the judges corrupt and the attorneys porn sharers) a jury will easily see through his lies. If they conduct an investigation (if that happen, I'm sure Thompson would try to laugh at them), they'll show clearly that there's no conspiracy.
Thompson discredited every ally he got before, he won't have many witnesses.
I'm not sure, but I think Thompson thinks he's winning because he knows those peoples. He must be thinking "I know those. They will be easy to discredit". But maybe I'm thinking too much or just being paranoid. Maybe he's just in denial (but REALLY in denial) or he just want to delay the case to get a good Christmas. It's almost as hard as trying to find the reason why he filled gay porn to a judge (I had some theories, but each one is as absurd as the last one, but knowing Thompson, they could be not so absurd).
He WILL get MUCH MORE than just a slap on his fingers. I'm pretty sure he'll get disbarred, but I shouldn't jump to conclusions.
Someone else may come along, but to fill that void they'd have to be just as stupid as Thompson.
@ ApokalypseNow - I'm all for Team Fortress. And Guiness. OOH! Drunken TF2! :)
Depending on circumstances, I'll try to buy out a large-ish TeamSpeak server for a day, so that GP Celebrations may be shared vocally. The beer will flow like water!
Yes. Towards the end the judge basically told the lawyers to shut up regarding the morality of teaching evolution, and asked the teacher if he had. Since he said yes, he was found guilty. The link is somewhere here...
And I'm also imagining a game based on 'Jack-o-vision', which incorporates surreal imagery and randomized fear effects whenever you get near a video game or anything that can be linked to one, or anything at all, really. I can't think of a way to win, though. Jack certainly hasn't.
do you think he would consider that as gay sexual acts with a minor and then take pictures and attach them to his next complaint? If he gets one that is.
Actually, since Santa gives all the good boys and girls video games, he is obviously part of the vast video game conspiracy. This is perfect material to use to discredit Santa in the court's eyes. After all, it worked great against Norm...
Been wondering a little about the nuances there. If he's been representing himself in the disiplinary hearing, and he gets disbarred, does that mean has to get someone else to represent him in the appeal?