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Supreme Court Declines Jack Thompson Appeal

Posted by Soulskill on from the take-the-hint dept.

eldavojohn writes "Jack Thompson was disbarred last year in Florida, putting a halt to annoying lawsuits targeting game makers and the constitutional rights of gamers. Well, he had appealed to the United States Supreme Court (scheduled to be heard last Friday) to get this overturned, but instead they declined to even hear his appeal. They wouldn't even give him the time to review his appeal, so it appears his disbarment for life stands. Florida had declined to file a response to Thompson's appeal, and it turns out they didn't need to. Sad day for Jack Thompson, but a great day for gamers everywhere." This comes shortly after Thompson was frustrated by the vetoing of some legislation he promoted in Utah.

12 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. He'll Be Back by gbulmash · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem with zealots and fanatics is that these kinds of setbacks only help to make them believe that they just need to fight harder. It's a sad, sick feedback loop where defeat reinforces their mania instead of chipping away at it. I seriously doubt this is the last we'll hear of Jack Thompson. He'll just come up with new and creative ways to be a thorn in the side of gamers and freethinkers.

    Just because he's disbarred, he can still find some rich, old lonely lady to fund his evil plans... much like Lex Luthor did in Superman Returns. But seriously, even though he's not a lawyer anymore, that doesn't stop him from getting one to act as his proxy. He just needs to find another manically deluded soul who either has a law degree or the money to pay for lawyers, and he'll be back.

    --
    Start a happiness pandemic
    1. Re:He'll Be Back by StreetStealth · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You're probably right. While credibility may not be a huge obstacle to appearing on the likes of Fox News, his disbarment, continued absurdist hijinks, and now this have probably dipped him below the mark where he's likely to be picked up by "news programs" as a "school shooting expert" or other disturbing titles in the future.

      He still has an audience, no doubt, but by this point it's probably nearing the contemporary size of the Uri Geller faithful.

      --
      Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
    2. Re:He'll Be Back by Narpak · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He'll just come up with new and creative ways to be a thorn in the side of gamers and freethinkers. ... He just needs to find another manically deluded soul who either has a law degree or the money to pay for lawyers, and he'll be back.

      While this might be true at least he is no longer allowed to use his status as a lawyer to harass people. And further more any lawyer that would act on his behalf risks equal punishment. In fact, if any lawyers are out there that want to work with him and use illegal and unethical acts to support cases based upon false accusations, unsubstantiated research and anecdotal evidence; then by all means I hope they all join hands and march into disbarment under his banner. Though more likely any lawyer who wish to have a career and a reputation, beyond any sort of misguided personal crusade, will avoid him like the plague.

      Perhaps Jack Thomson will be back, and perhaps he will continue to cause noise regarding video games, but his disbarment, and the public airing of some of the things he did to deserve that disbarment; means that very few with grievances against the video game industry will want to be associated with him. Prohibiting him from practising law should hopefully be a warning to others that if they wish to present a case against something; then that case should be based upon reason and respect. And not lower themselves to such vile acts as Thomson engaged in.

      I am saddened that serious matters are distracted from by someone such as he. I enjoy video games, but I think there is reason to debate and research the effects of gaming (and for that matter TV and other medias) effect on children and adolescents. Audiovisual media with interactive components have a massive potential to affect the mental development of children; for good or bad. Understanding how and why is important. Unfortunately self-righteous people like mister Thomson are on both sides of these issues and they continue to validate the existence of their counterparts.

      --
      The Long Now Foundation
    3. Re:He'll Be Back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Seriously? Jack Thompson has to be, officially, the least relevant human being the world. He's had his shit pushed in by virtually every court he's seen the inside of.

      He's fucking finished.

    4. Re:He'll Be Back by afidel · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What lawyer would work with him? Seriously would YOU risk your livelyhood on someone so bad at what you do that he got permanently banned from the field?

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    5. Re:He'll Be Back by DustyShadow · · Score: 2, Insightful

      While this might be true at least he is no longer allowed to use his status as a lawyer to harass people.

      It's actually against the legal rules of ethics for attorneys to harass people. Although I haven't read the details on why he was disbarred, I am willing to bet that had a lot to do with it.

    6. Re:He'll Be Back by cdrudge · · Score: 2, Insightful

      For the right price, someone will join up with them. If there is one Jack Thompson, there are others that just haven't been identified yet.

  2. Stop giving him attention by gcnaddict · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just stop posting stories about him. Stop posting anything which would give him any attention at all unless it's about something which really is a threat. In that case, spread the word high and low to kill whatever the threat may be.

    The less attention you guys personally give him, the more neglected he'll feel and the less of an attention whore he might become. Granted, this might not work, but it's better than talking about every major event in his life.

    --
    Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
    1. Re:Stop giving him attention by rob1980 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The less attention you guys personally give him, the more neglected he'll feel and the less of an attention whore he might become.

      Or he'll step up his efforts and when there are no sane people to keep his outlandish behavior in check, he'll be one step closer to getting his way. Jack Thompson isn't some anonymous coward you can filter out of a discussion thread just because you think he's a troll - as long as he's loud enough to get legislation on the table for discussion, he's somebody you need to keep an eye on.

    2. Re:Stop giving him attention by arkhan_jg · · Score: 2, Insightful

      On the other hand, there's the schadenfreude we derive from seeing Jack finally get his comeuppance.

      After years and years of thinking 'surely THIS time', it's really satisfying for the court system to catch on to what us gamers have seen all this time - that he's an utter loon who besmirches the name of anything he's a part of.

      I don't know about you, but in this case, I'm really glad to see that justice has finally been done.

      --
      Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.
  3. Re: Ashcroft by rksrb · · Score: 2, Insightful

    While I don't agree with anything else that he stands for, he did say "NO!" from his hospital bed when George W. sent Gonzo to renew the approval for the ongoing warrentless wiretapping. I do respect him for that.

  4. Re:Seriously... by geminidomino · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No, he's VERY relevant!

    If someone comes along and talks about how violent video games are and that they should be banned, point at Jack and say "hey, look, you're taking his side".

    Surely we can do better than association fallacies? That kind of sloppy argument is better left in the hands of the dickholes like Thompson.