Every infamous anti-gaming attorney, Jack Thompson, has been disbarred permanently, thanks to a ruling from the Florida Supreme Court.
The Florida Supreme Court approved a recommendation made by Judge Dava Tunis earlier this year that Thompson should receive a permanent disbarment with no opportunity for reinstatement.
Judge Tunis's ruling was declared after she presided over a long disciplinary proceeding in which the Florida Bar raised 31 separate disciplinary issues concerning Thompson; the Judge determined he was guilty on 27 of these, approved the enhanced suspension request and added a recommendation that Thompson should pay legal fees in the amount of $43,675.35 to the Bar.
The Florida Supreme Court approved both the disbarment and legal fees penalties.
Jack Thompson can no longer accept any new clients and he has 30 days to close out his practice and protect the interests of existing clients. If Thompson chooses so, he can inform the court in writing that he is no longer practicing and that he doesn't need the 30 days grace period anymore and the court will enter an order making the permanent disbarment effective immediately.
Jack Thompson has a single chance at reenlisting by asking for a retrial. However, the retrial motion must be submitted by a "member of the Florida Bar in good standing", which seems a bit unlikely; at least for the near future.
In spite of the ruling clearly stating that another attorney should file any retrial motion, Thompson still went on and filed an emergency motion. He then sent out a (hilarious) press release saying that this ruling "is in retaliation, among other things, for Thompson's Tyndale House book Out of Harm's Way, published in 2005, which blew the whistle on the Florida Supreme Court's earlier efforts in the 1990's to literally pathologize his faith-based and successful activism against the American entertainment industry".
The press release goes on to say that "The timing of this disbarment transparently reveals its motivation: This past Friday Thompson filed a federal civil rights action against The Bar, the Supreme Court, and all seven of its Justices."
"This rush to disbarment is in retribution for the filing of that federal suit. With enemies this foolish, Thompson needs only the loyal friends he has. Thompson always wanted to own a Bar. Now, armed with multiple US Supreme Court rulings that no state bar can do what it has done to Thompson, he is set to own that Bar."
