The pledge: To be recited as an affirmation of what the land of the free and home of the brave is all about:
Freedom.
Except, not...
In Mississippi, a judge ordered, yes that's right ORDERED--not invited, not suggested, not asked--that the PoA be recited in his courtroom. ORDERED, as in YOU WILL--UNDER THREAT OF PUNISHMENT--I ORDER THAT YOU WILL recite the PoA in my court room!
And the lawyer correctly refused to be ORDERED to do so.
Land of the free! Liberty!
The judge threw him in jail.
Story here: FROM THE NMISSISSIPPI COMMENTER BLOG:
"Danny Lampley (who clerked for me in law school), was jailed by Chancery Court Judge Littlejohn in Tupelo for failing to recite the pledge of allegiance in open court today. Danny was one of the local lawyers who represented the plaintiff in the Pontotoc school prayer case years ago, working with the ACLU and People for the American Way.
I’m informed that Danny rose and was respectful, but did not recite the pledge.
Media is reporting that Danny has since been released after having been in jail from about 9:30 to about 2:30.
The order incarcerating him provides:
BE IT REMEMBERED, this date, the Court having ordered all present in the courtroom to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegience, and having found that Danny Lampley, Attorney at Law, failed and refused to do so, finds said Danny Lampley to be in criminal contempt of court.
The order states that for this, Danny Lampley “is hereby ordered to be incaraerated in that Lee County jail.” The order continues:
IT IS FURTHER ORDED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED, that Danny Lampley shall purge himself of said criminal contempt by complying with the order of this Court by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in open court.
I had not blogged about this because I was in the process of preparing an emergency writ of mandamus on Danny’s behalf. It’s apparently over now, and, hopefully, no legal action will be necessary.
Update: I added this: ”I’m informed that Danny rose and was respectful, but did not recite the pledge.”
I'm trying my best not to invoke Godwin's Law here, but you see the lawyer who was thrown in jail FOR NOT FOLLOWING ORDERS! was the real American patriot, and the judge should be disbarred and shamed for his egregious stupidity and defiling of the Pledge of Allegiance.
AP report here.
