How The Nanotech Patent Thicket Problem May Stifle Innovation

Criticizing Your Judge Online Is Protected Free Speech

from the in-case-you-were-wondering dept

Fri, Mar 31st 2006 2:41am — Mike Masnick

Almost exactly four years ago, we wrote about the case of Paul Trummel, a resident in a Seattle senior citizens home, who had been writing a newsletter/pamphlet at the home criticizing the place. The home tried to stop him, and he sued to get them to allow it. Whatever he did in court ticked off the judge something fierce, as the judge went in the other direction completely and issued an injunction to stop Trummel from handing out his newsletter. So, instead, Trummel went online and wrote up a big rant about the case, the senior citizen home and the judge. Again, this didn't make the judge happy -- leading to a contempt of court charge and an indefinite period of time in jail. He was told he could come out when he took down the website -- which was difficult to do from jail, with no internet access. One of the controversial points made was that Trummel somehow wasn't a "real" journalist, since he wasn't employed by a news organization. A few months later he was let out and took down the site, rather than being sent back to jail. However, he did sue, saying that his First Amendment rights were violated -- and it only took these four years for the Washington state Supreme Court to rule that the trial judge clearly overstepped his authority in throwing Trummel in jail. That said, the court also indicates that much of what Trummel did can be considered harassment, and he still faces charges for harassment. However, on the free speech side of things, it appears putting up such a website is perfectly legal.

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28 Comments

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SH, 31 Mar 2006 @ 3:15am

Harrassment?
If he libeled or slandered the judge let the courts and the judicial system run it's course. It appears the harrassment charges should be filed against the judge. Is this judge an idiot or what?
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EC, 31 Mar 2006 @ 4:46am

Human Rights Violation
The judge should be fired for violating the person's human rights. This person should also recieve monetary damages for his illegal incarcaration by an obvious biased judge.
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Anthony, 31 Mar 2006 @ 4:53am

Violation of Law and Right
This judge should be taken off his bench. Aren't there laws that could get someone like this judge disbarred? FFS people the judge should be the one rotting in a jail cell, you cannot bring your personal agenda into matters of law. I wonder how many times this judge has crossed the line, how many more times will he? Someone needs to take his ball and go home.
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Joseph Moye', 31 Mar 2006 @ 5:13am

Our rights are steadily and surely erroding.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Mar 2006 @ 5:17am

Monetary damages?
Why does everybody thing monetary compensation is supposed to fix everything?

Money isn't going to give him back the time the judge took from him. There's got to be a better way.
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Wolfger, 31 Mar 2006 @ 5:19am

Right to a speedy trial?
Wow... only 4 years for the courts to decide he should not have been jailed!
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J. Ceasar, 31 Mar 2006 @ 5:33am

Re: Monetary damages?
You're right...let's start by getting rid of the lawyers...hmmm what should we do to them?
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DreadOne509, 31 Mar 2006 @ 5:37am

Monetary awards are used as a punishment against whomever lost the case. Money is what makes the world go around, and if you lose some in court it is supposed to teach you a lesson. If a million dollar award is goven to that gentleman, right out of that judges pocket it will in no uncertain terms send a very strong message to the judge that what he did was wrong. And no, it won't give that person his missing 4 years but it is a start.

Our entire criminal system is so bloated and corrupt I can only equate it with Microsoft if they were running more than our operating systems (not to be taken seriously). Could you imagine if MS ran the government, or any other mega-corporation for that matter?

Our courts are clogged with BS cases. It's all about me, and how can I get some easy money.
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giafly, 31 Mar 2006 @ 6:09am

Justice isn't only for Nice People
"Phew, boy! What a mess. There is absolutely no doubt that Mr. Trummel is a cantankerous old crank. One web site dedicated to this incident even says so right up front. Also, he appears to be delusional -- if not outright paranoid -- and in the habit of misrepresenting himself." - A Few Banned or Challenged Works
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Joe Smith, 31 Mar 2006 @ 6:37am

Judges
I'm not going to bother go check what it was that he did or said but there are certainly circumstances where a Judge should throw someone in the slammer for their conduct in the face of the court.

This however seems to have been a case of some form of mental disturbance in the old man and he should not have been thrown in jail for that. The courts should be a lot thicker skinned than that.
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o0otoxic, 31 Mar 2006 @ 7:10am

just another way for the man to keep u down.next they ll be tellin us what to wear.what this guy may or may not have wrote on a web page isnt a violation of any laws that i know of..ps big brother is watching
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Jimmy Bear Pearson, 31 Mar 2006 @ 7:51am

We The People
... must be able to speak out. The ability to speak out about one's experiences and opinions is extremely fundamental to the concept of freedom.

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George R Mason, 31 Mar 2006 @ 7:58am

Paul Trummel
If you're going to comment, get your facts straight! Trummel, a sadistic, paranoid schizophrenic, has spent his life sueing people for imagined "crimes" and personal gain.
He was not "tossed" in jail for criticising the judge; but for harrassment of tenants of Council House. His harrassment included egregious threats against seniors, some as old as 90+. His accusations against people & staff never occurred, except in his sick mind. The man is also an anti-Semite who tries to cover up his vehement hatred of Jews by claiming he's Jewish, one more of his many lies. He lies about facts, his so-called university degrees are all false; everything he says are lies, meant to bilk people out of money to support his bus-load of court cases against all his "enemies." I invite anyone out there to visit Council House & find out the truth. And contact the University of Washington to see Trummel's absurd charges against them. You support him and you are not supporting Freedom of the Press or Expression; you are supporting the most disgusting threats against people, in their final years & in illness, who cannot protect themselves. While Trummel laughs at you, all the way to his hidden bank accounts.
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EC, 31 Mar 2006 @ 8:17am

Free Speech
The person views are irrelevent. The court violated our constitution. If we can't trust the courts to uphold our laws, who are we going to turn too?
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David Zawislak, 31 Mar 2006 @ 8:56am

Re: Free Speech
Smith and Wesson
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Bill Ward, 31 Mar 2006 @ 9:44am

Re:
Man, you guys need some reeding comprehension skills. The article says nothing about the old man spending 4 years in jail. He spent a few MONTHS. Sure it was wrong, but not THAT bad. The four years part was about his civil suit.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Mar 2006 @ 9:46am

Free Speech
I would have to say that the system totally failed this time, and I dont know that there is quick fix for the pain that this person endured. I can say that this is yet another instance of a judge with too much power, and holding someone with out allowing real justice. This is a scary thought as so many people stand before the courts each day, how many of them have their rights violated by the very system that is supposed to protect them?
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Zeroth404, 31 Mar 2006 @ 1:13pm

Justice should NOT take that long.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Mar 2006 @ 1:20pm

Re: Re: Free Speech
Which is why many want to get Smith and Wesson out of the citizen's hands.
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David Zawislak, 31 Mar 2006 @ 4:34pm

Re: Re: Re: Free Speech
No they want to get them out of the hands law abiding people, so they can have free reign.

In our system, Free Speech is not something that should have to be always battled over, yet it is. When the courts don't even follow the laws (and the constitution is the supreme law), then anarchy will already exist.
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howard, 1 Apr 2006 @ 4:18am

Re: Monetary damages?
Why does everybody thing monetary compensation is supposed to fix everything? Money isn't going to give him back the time the judge took from him. There's got to be a better way. What do you possibly suggest? Do you have a "way back machine" that can undo the history? If you don't, you need a solution that punishes the guilty and benefits the victim. Do we make the judge his personal slave for 4 years? Just pat the victim on the head and say "I can't fix this so we're going to do nothing for you or against him. Have a nice day." What's your solution?
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Chuck Yung, 1 Apr 2006 @ 7:04pm

Power of Judges
A judge took my business away from me at the urging of a state agency. Why? I found a sister-agency was culpable of wrongdoing. The agency had previously published a position paper saying it had no jurisdiction over any business like mine. I proved the agency had no jurisdiction. The judge heaped excrement on the constitution, his office and law. The agency consistently lied to get him to do the heaping. After tens of thousands of dollars in expenses I got the court of appeals to reverse the trial judge. This reminds me of watching Discovery Channel and seeing the WWII black-and-white newsreels coming from Nazi Germany where the Nazi judges start yelling at the defendent in a tirade of hatred and disgust. This is what I was subjected to - albeit without the yelling. So, when someone raises the race card against this man I look at what happened to those in Nazi Germany who were trying to kill Hitler and what happens here to people of all color, races, religions and ethnicities and I say to myself, "What the hell does the fact that this old fart doesn't like jews have to do with free speech?" Hell, part of judaism is to deal first with "countrymen" - don't deny it - so it could be said that jews themselves are just as prejudiced. Thus, the race card is a lousy, weak argument to deprive a man of his free speech. It doesn't matter what someone believes - he has an unabridged right to free speech whether you like what he has to say, or not. You need to look at yourself when you resort to the race card. Why is it that the illegal aliens overrunning our country do the same as Mr. Mason, above, did - when confronted with the fact that they are all criminals and broke laws in getting here and staying here, let alone taking away jobs from Americans with their willingness to accept slave wages - they call you a racial bigot. Mr. Mason, look at yourself and ask these questions: why did I resort to calling this man an antisemite; what importance is his personal belief when it comes to his right to express himself? Remember, the cards could turn again and your detractors will point to the fact that you called the race card, or to the fact that you may be jewish, or may be a zionist in order to jail you. Mr. Mason, you should be doing your damndest to protect this man's right to his free speech. Shame on you for playing the race card.
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Annie Jordan, 2 Apr 2006 @ 4:53pm

Re:Mason's comments
I have checked out Trummel's so called credentials. There isn't an American Society of Authors and Editors. He isn't on any list of Pulitzer Prize winners. The man is delusional, and in my opinion a miserable old hasbeen hack writer who never really was a writer just a complainer. One more thing, why did he leave his beloved foggy England? Couldn't "hack" it there either.
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George R Mason, 3 Apr 2006 @ 1:42pm

To Mr Young,
Your ignorance has overtaken your subjective intelligence, if you've ever had any.
Trummel's anti-Semitism, his hatred of women, his hatred of homosexuals and people of all non-Causcasian races and ethnic backgrounds is one of the major motivating forces for that sociopathic paranoid schzophrenic.
His whole attacks on others are based on his pre-conceived prejudices.
And BTW, anti-Semitism is not racism. Jews and followers of the Jewish religion are not a race. And the only race cards being played are those played by Trummel himself.
You also seem to have an incredinbly unbalanced idea of what constitutes support of a person.
The man, Trummel, is a pathological liar. His so-called resume is filled with lies. Fake degrees, fake organizations, etc.
Yet you swallow his lies about others with no capacity or interest yourself to find out the truth.
Maybe you enjoy being a sheep led around by people like Trummel. Too bad.
But any of us who have done even the slightest homework into this sicko's activity, have found out how dangerous he is.
This is not about Free Speech. Anyone can write anything on the net. Big effing deal.
But to treat his crap with any respect, then you and others are no better than those who swallowed the lies of Hitler and gladly led masses to the death camps.
Sure, on the internet, maybe, Hitler would've been entitled to Free Speech. But to have your worship like you worship Trummel, another hate-monger?
Open your eyes next time, before you open your mouth.
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George R Mason, 3 Apr 2006 @ 1:42pm

To Mr Young,
Your ignorance has overtaken your subjective intelligence, if you've ever had any.
Trummel's anti-Semitism, his hatred of women, his hatred of homosexuals and people of all non-Causcasian races and ethnic backgrounds is one of the major motivating forces for that sociopathic paranoid schzophrenic.
His whole attacks on others are based on his pre-conceived prejudices.
And BTW, anti-Semitism is not racism. Jews and followers of the Jewish religion are not a race. And the only race cards being played are those played by Trummel himself.
You also seem to have an incredinbly unbalanced idea of what constitutes support of a person.
The man, Trummel, is a pathological liar. His so-called resume is filled with lies. Fake degrees, fake organizations, etc.
Yet you swallow his lies about others with no capacity or interest yourself to find out the truth.
Maybe you enjoy being a sheep led around by people like Trummel. Too bad.
But any of us who have done even the slightest homework into this sicko's activity, have found out how dangerous he is.
This is not about Free Speech. Anyone can write anything on the net. Big effing deal.
But to treat his crap with any respect, then you and others are no better than those who swallowed the lies of Hitler and gladly led masses to the death camps.
Sure, on the internet, maybe, Hitler would've been entitled to Free Speech. But to have your worship like you worship Trummel, another hate-monger?
Open your eyes next time, before you open your mouth.
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Carl Allenby, 16 Apr 2006 @ 7:15pm

Mr. Yung:
Mr. Yung, the establishment that Mr. Trummel is ranting about was started by the National Association of Jewish Women. You stated that his Antisemitism has nothing to do with his freedom of speech. Read his website(get a laugh and see him in a true light as a paranoid schizophrenic)he refers to the administrators, lawyers and judges as the Jewish Mafia. I, for one, am speaking with the Jewish Anti-Defamation League. Mr. Trummel will soon have to contend with them.
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Paul Trummel, 10 Jun 2007 @ 12:21pm

Re: Paul Trummel
This person uses the name George R. Mason as a pseudonym. The pieces published on this site have been circulated worldwide and are written by a propagandist living at Council House. He has described his own behavior and psychologically transferred it onto others as is his wont. See updates at http://contracabal.org I have written much about the elder abuse at Council House since this piece was published. I suggest that readers should update themselves to see that I won in Washington Supreme Court (30 Mar 06) which reversed all my First Amendment complaints. The attacks on my academic credentials can be verified at http://contracabal.us under Curriculum Vitae
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jamais, 21 Dec 2009 @ 3:30pm

Re: Re: Paul Trummel
Judge james Doerty is racist. I have heard about another cases with this judge that he is totally bias and discriminative and racist.
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