Judge urges El Paso online writer to get legal help

Back in November, in a post titled, Lawsuit shakes up El Paso blog world, we wrote about ethics commission chairman Stuart Leeds suing online columnist David Karlsruher for David K's criticism of Leeds and how he might use the ethics commission. Here is the post that led to the lawsuit.

There was a hearing scheduled this morning, and though both David Karlsruher and Stuart Leeds were in the building, only Karlsruher showed up for the hearing. When the hearing began in County Court at Law #3, Judge Javier Alvarez told Karlsruher that this morning, Leed's attorney Doris Sipes had called to say she was sick and would not be able to make the hearing.

So it will be rescheduled.

Karlsruher was there representing himself, and Judge Alvarez implored Karlsruher to hire a attorney, saying the rules in civil court can be treacherous.

"You may step on a landmine is what I'm trying to tell you," Alvarez said.

Karlsruher, for his part, said he had so far had a difficult time getting an attorney to help him on the First Amendment case at a price he could afford. He assured the judge he was not representing himself as some kind of statement or stunt and he would continue to seek legal help.

Comments

[Blago]

Well if that doesn't beat all! The ACLU loves to step in and sue over religious displays, represent prisoners at Guantanomo and advocate on behalf of illegal aliens and yet they won't help a true patriot like David K! They should be ashamed of themselves as David is the solid earth. Whether or not you agree with his point of view is irrelevant. He has the same free speech rights as everyone else and this whole fiasco is causing his pregnant wife unimaginable stress and grief. If anyone out there with a heart knows the law, step in and assist this honest, hard-working and conscientious man. We will rue the day when opposing viewpoints are suppressed just because we don't agree with them just as much as we regret the day that Custer inadvertently stumbled into Little Bighorn.

[Jennifer]

Go David!

Beat Cotton Mathers!

[down towner]

Cotton Mathers? Oh! You mean Montgomery Burns!

[fight the power]

Caballero to the rescue!

[Rob]

Caballero to the rescue???

You obviously don't know that it's TC's best buddy Stuart Leeds who is suing DavidK...

[Carl Starr]

Prudential Ins. Co. of Am. v. Cheek, 259 U.S. 530 (1922) (First Amendment only applies to the government).

The problem is it is not the Government that is chilling DavidK First Amendment Rights.

[Question man]

Question for Carl, because I honestly don't know: Isn't Leeds, as chairman of the Ethics Commission part of the government? Seems to me David K. is being sued after criticizing the government and a government official.