Posted on 03/29/2005 9:51:37 PM PST by NormsRevenge
To avoid "potential harm" to eight people who have joined avowed atheist Michael Newdow in a quest to strike "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, a federal judge agreed Tuesday to allow them to remain anonymous during what is sure to be a closely-watched legal fight over highly-charged issue.
Newdow, who filed the lawsuit using pseudonyms for all the plaintiffs except himself, proposed in a motion to keep anonymous the names of the parents and students in Sacramento County and San Joaquin County school districts.
Attorneys for the defendants - Congress, the federal government, California, and five school districts in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties and a top official from each district - ratified the proposal in a written agreement.
"It is believed that disclosure of the actual and true names of either the children or their parents will subject the minor children (and their parents) to potential harm," Newdow wrote in his motion.
The written agreement, approved by U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton, decrees that the true identities of the four adults and four children "will be protected from disclosure" and "will be deemed 'confidential information.' "
Craig M. Blackwell, a senior trial counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice who represents the federal defendants, declined to oppose the motion because of the contents of a sworn statement by Newdow attached to the complaint and "certain allegations" in the complaint.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton
1979 Jimmy Carter appointee
Now, there is reason to suspect that Newdow may have faked the facts and people to manufacture jurisdiction this time around. Normally, one would count on the MSM to dig out such hidden people and facts. But that would mean assisting conservatives. Nah, that's not gonna happen.
Congressman Billybob
Doesn't the accused have the right to face his accuser? Well we are the accused and we want to face our accusers - ALL OF THEM AND KNOW EXACTLY WHO THEY ARE!!!!
That's exactly what I was thinking as I read this article.
God Bless you.
Calm down son...Quite a few mob bosses are sittin in fed custody because UC's were permitted to be "heard" but not "seen". We don't change the rules just because, in this instance, you don't approve of the outcome.
There's a method for change. If you want the change, you need to employ the method. It doesn't happen because of the emotions of the moment.
What you say is right, and I agree. It does strike me as a bit inconsistent that they want to impose their will on the majority of people in this country but can't stand the heat.
How can you compare the Pledge to a mob case? Where is the correlation.
I am calm if I wasn't I'd be saying thing about Newdow and these individuals that would get me banned from FR.
Please re-read the post. There is no case comparison. I was responding to a demand that is currently inconsistant with federal judiciary guidelines.
That New-Dunce is a whack-job is a given; but we don't get to change the rules because he is one.
I know we are on the same side of the arguement. I just don't understand how a case regarding the 1st Amendment could qualify for witness protection. Newdow has never been attacked. There is no precedence. WP is not given when a person has to identify a criminal in court. Those folks face a greater risk of retaliation.
My guess would be that before this ruling was made, some sort of intimidation probably already occurred...or even just a "feeling" of some. The other consideration is that the feds are doing what they can to remove as many grounds as they can to preclude the 9th Circuit from issuing stupid rulings during the appeal process, which will most certainly happen.
Talk about opening a pandora's box, judicial activism gets more assinine every day.
What, like the harm that has befallen Mr. TV Star, Mr. Newdow?
Newdow reminds me of when the plumbing gets backed up and you have to flush, flush, flush, and flush again...
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