February 23, 2008
In recent days GamePolitics has been tracking a drastic disciplinary step taken by the Florida Supreme Court against controversial attorney Jack Thompson.Based on the court's February 19th order to Thompson (see: Florida Supreme Court Comes Down Hard on Jack Thompson), it appears that, pending a final decision by the Court, the anti-game violence activist may no longer be permitted to file motions with the Court. Rather, he would be required to have another lawyer file on his behalf.
This is problematic for Thompson's culture crusade for two reasons. The first is financial. When Thompson works pro se, that is, on his own behalf, he spends no money on legal fees. Some obersvers would, of course, say one gets what one pays for. But beyond that, Thompson files so many motions with so many courts and agencies that using the services of another lawyer could become quite costly.
And, of course, there is the question of whether another lawyer would be willing to take on Thompson's case.
A bizarre motion submitted by Thompson to the Supreme Court in December appears to have been the final straw for the justices. Described by Thompson as a children's picture book for adults, the document is, essentially, a rant with digital images attached. Obviously, the justices didn't take kindly to Thompson's submission, as the "picture book" gets prominent mention in Tuesday's show cause order:
One of Mr. Thompson's recent filings contains what Mr. Thompson refers to as a "children's picture book for adults" that rehashes his previous arguments in illustrated form that he believes was necessary due to "the Court's inability to comprehend" his arguments.
The full text of the Florida Supreme Court's order to Thompson is here (PDF).
Comments
Re: Read Florida Supreme Court's Show Cause Order to Jack
Jack Thompson needs to be held accountable and suffer the consequences of his behavior.
I can't see a guy like that flipping burgers for a living and anyway if I were the manager of McDonalds I wouldn't hire him.. he'd scare the customers.
The question would be would the other lawyer be willing to risk their reputation working with this, being.
lol good one
im surprised they didnt hold him in contempt of court
And as I said, any lawyer to do so would be risking their reputation
He also believes that Bush did 9/11 and that Clinton was the greatest president ever.
Who knew.
Smell ya later, Jacko.
So, that why he tried to push assault charges on Janet Reno for touching his shoulder? Good lord.
yup needless to say the courts saw it for what it was and refused to hear any arguements thompson was a huge ass about the campaign
and if you really want to be scared look up janet reno ion wikipedia and check the cases she oversaw!!!
jacky boy handling those, the country would have been blown to smithereens on his watch lol
Happy reading
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
THE FLORIDA BAR,
Complainant,
v. Case Numbers SC 07 - 80 and 07- 354
JOHN B. THOMPSON,
Respondent.
RESPONDENT’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE TO SUPREME COURT’S
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE
Comes now respondent John B. Thompson (Thompson) and provides this court with a preliminary response to its show cause order of February 19, 2008, with a more detailed response to follow prior to the court’s March 5 deadline, noting:
Thompson deeply appreciates, more than this court could ever know, its show cause order as it opens the door to Thompson’s seeking and receiving relief from the federal courts.
The federal court system dismissed Thompson’s prior suit on abstention grounds, stating that Thompson had an “adequate state remedy” to seek redress for any infringement of rights by The Bar and by this Supreme Court that is supposed to oversee and remedy the misdeeds of The Bar.
This court’s panicked threat against Thompson, apparently stemming in part from the court’s having been caught by Thompson not complying with Florida Statute 876.05 (Loyalty Oath Law), has wonderfully proven not just that Thompson has no “adequate state remedy” but that he has no state remedy at all. This court threatens Thompson if he even files this pleading. This is a brazen attempt by this court to repeal the absolute right of every citizen, under the First Amendment, to “petition the government for a redress” of grievances.
This court’s misstep exquisitely proves his point to a federal tribunal that it no more understands the First Amendment than it understands the legal and constitutional issues on which it was so grandly reversed in Bush v. Gore.
Thompson has Fifth, Sixth, Fourteenth, and First Amendment rights that this court’s show cause order wildly infringes upon. Thompson has a right to represent himself in traffic court and before this court. Thompson is a competent lawyer with 31 years of continuous good standing within The Bar who has a string of victories against powerful corporate interests—the very interests who filed these SLAPP Bar complaints.
Ted Bundy, for Heaven’s sake, was not even a lawyer, and yet he was allowed to represent himself in this state within its courts. Thompson, who has committed no crime but whose “sin” is that he has waged a successful campaign against the very porn industry that helped train Bundy to kill, is being petulantly threatened by this court that he is to be muzzled and denied access to this state court. Nonsense.
US Supreme Court Justice Douglas in Lathrop v. Donohue warned that integrated state bars would eventually become “goose-stepping brigades.” This court has confirmed that those brigade are now here in this state and that this court is brazenly leading them. This court is free to enter a show cause order against the ghosts of Justices Douglas and of all the US Supreme Court Justices who handed down Keller v. State Bar of California
if it likes. Even King Canute knew he could not order the tide not to come in.
All this court with its panicked show cause threat has accomplished is handed Thompson the keys to the federal courthouse. Abstention is out the window, thanks to this High Court.
What “adequate state remedy” does any citizen have, let alone a lawyer have, when the very court that has negligently failed to oversee The Bar threatens a whistleblower with retribution because he dares to keep blowing the whistle?
This court has threatened Thompson. He does not threaten back. He hereby informs this court that he will see it in federal court. This court has just thrown Brer Rabbit into the briar patch.
Thank you so very, very much.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that this has been provided this February 20 2008, to Bar staff counsel Sheila Tuma, to Kenneth Marvin, Director of Lawyer Regulation for The Bar, to Dava Tunis, and to all Bar Governors as well as to Bar President Frank Angones.
so wouldnt he just get her to file them for him?
The feds are calling
*bagpipe*
Also, Pix might have a point. He could just make his wife do it if she is also a lawyer.
Also, the courts are trying to limit JT's ability to waste the court's time. By knowingly being party to JT's continued abuse of the courts the wife would be just as guilty as JT himself on this matter, and she'd potentially also be exposed to disciplinary sanctions. There's also the obvious conflict of interest - in professions such as these you avoid situations that present even the illusion of conflict of interest, even if, say, she legitimately thought JT's filings did have merit. So doing so may also expose her to ethics violations.
I dint go through the posts in any sort of detail so was not aware that it was bought up...
Fangamer
He managed to get out of the gay porn thing, so the same will probably happen here...until he spams the court again.
I can imagine him, thinking about himself like Jesus against Poncio Pilatus or King Herodes.
If they could find someone less crazy I'm sure they would've all ready done so.
It still wouldn't surprise me if he tried to bring her down with him. His son's already been used as a tool to him before...
Like he did with the pornographic filing in Judge Jordan's case, he may well dodge the bullet. First, he was slimy enough to sue the Supremes. That may well tinge the situation for the Court -- who may not want to appear retaliatory or to be otherwise unfairly or innappropriately responding to Mr. Thompson. Second, conditioning a litigant's free access to the courts is a pretty drastic -- but prefectly legitimate, given the circumstances -- sanction, which I doubt the Court will impose lightly. But, then again, Jack's left them little choice.
Funny, I think most of the time he's after just that reaction.
The woman must be a saint.
however, when there is the potential of someone else going down in flames with him (especially a loved one such as his wife) he will likely reign it in quite a bit
She has the patience of one.
I think his wife intentionally distances herself from him and his shenanigans. I suspect she values her career too much to let Jacky drag her down.
in all seriousness though, can he seriously expect that document to not be an insult to the courts? the guy's freaking insane
I honestly feel sorry for JT's son. He goes to school and any gamer friend with half a brain will tell him his father's insane and he comes home to that insanity. Granted, if the sting operations are any clue, he probably loves his father and is very loyal to him, but I can't help but wonder if any Teenager with a dad like that is just going to stop caring. Of, I'm sure that JT's son is a great kid who crosses every every T and dots every i, but then again I've never met any member of the Thompson clan.
If I ever met JT in person, I bet he's probably a very good, intelligent orator(He is a lawyer for goodness sake) and we'd get along fine until we talked about games, where he'd blame it for everything and I'd disagree, remaining calm and Buddhist-like while his face turns red and he accuses me of being a serial killer in VR training. I could really make him angry because if I knew before hand that I could meet him I'd point out every logical fallacy he makes in real time, quote his own words back to him and count how many times he's shouted at me.
But then again, I'm also a person who still looks forward to the day he gets disbarred because from me he'd probably get a hand delivered basket full of Peanuts.
Nearly all of Jack's current problems with the Florida Bar could have likely been avoided if he'd just kept quiet and accept a slap on the wrist and a forced "vacation". But instead, he just won't shut up, refuses to accept any responsibility for his actions, refuses to accept that he's managed to step over the line, and demands that anyone that dares to suggest that he's acted improper, or done anything wrong be silenced and punished.
everyone else is wrong except Thompson, in his eyes. and since he did such a fine job of paying a shrink to say he's "sane" it means he's immoral and doesn't have the level of professionalism that is required of lawyers.