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
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.
~~All Knowledge is Worth Having~~
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.