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In a four-page written order (download here), the Florida Supreme Court today affirmed a referee's recommendation to permanently disbar controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson. The action, which takes effect in 30 days, means that Thompson will no longer be licensed to practice law and may not apply for reinstatement. Ever. In citing a litany of offenses, the Court noted Thompson's extensive pattern of misconduct and cited a "complete lack of remorse." The Court also quoted extensively from the June, 2008 report of Judge Dava Tunis, who served as referee at Thompson's November, 2007 trial on charges brought by the Florida...

Executives throughout the video game industry may be breathing a big sigh of relief. That's because it looks like one of the industry's biggest critics, Florida lawyer Jack Thompson, has had his voice cut off at the knees, to mix a metaphor or two. According to a Thursday report on the popular video game blog Kotaku, Thompson has been disbarred by a Florida judge who ruled he has been guilty of some seriously unbecoming conduct. Essentially, according to Kotaku, the court ruled that Thompson "made false statements of material fact to courts and repeatedly violated a court order...communicated the subject...

Hot off the press... Be warned - it's a 169-page pdf file. Get it here. UPDATE: In addition to her recommendation that Jack Thompson be permanently disbarred with no opportunity for reinstatement, Judge Tunis recommends an assessment of $43,675 for the costs incurred by the Florida Bar in prosecuting his case.

Jack Thompson has issued a press release suggesting the U.S. Department of Defense is involved in an "unholy alliance" with the gaming industry, with the aim of turning kids into violent, remorseless killers. According to a report by GamePolitics, Thompson said he will be training his guns on the U.S. military in the new year as a result of its continued collaboration with the game industry. In a press release, Thompson said one of the results of this partnership is "the increasing number of commando-style assaults by young gamers," citing the recent killings in Omaha, Nebraska as evidence of his...

Citing a connection between violent video games and a rise in youth crime, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy blasted some of the biggest names in entertainment and urged a holiday boycott of 11 best-selling games.

Controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson faces the start of an ethics trial this morning which could see him disbarred. The Florida Bar is pursuing several complaints concerning Thompson’s professional conduct in court cases against the video game industry....

Controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson faces the start of an ethics trial this morning which could see him disbarred. The Florida Bar is pursuing several complaints concerning Thompson’s professional conduct in court cases against the video game industry. As reported by GamePolitics, Thompson’s bid to block the trial failed last week when U.S. District Court Judge Adalberto Jordan dismissed his suit against the Florida Bar and Judge Dava Tunis, the referee appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to preside over the case. Thompson’s attempt to add myself and the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) as co-defendants in that federal suit also...

Controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson has indicated that he plans to file a video game-related lawsuit today against electronics retailer Best Buy in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Thompson, embroiled in an increasingly desperate struggle with the Florida Bar to save his law license, asserts that Best Buy is selling M-rated games to minors. He will base his suit on Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act which he claimsthat Best Buy is violating by offering M-rated games for sale on its website. In a letter to the retailer’s corporate counsel, Thompson writes: Best Buy, despite promises made to the American people...

The frequent video game critic, already facing professional misconduct charges from the Florida Bar which could see him stripped of his license to practice law, has outraged a U.S. District Court judge by including images of men having sex in a document filed with the court last week. .... His Honor was not amused. In an order issued on Monday, Judge Jordan directed Thompson to show cause as to why he should not face sanctions, including possible contempt charges. Judge Jordan wrote: The attached exhibit, which includes several graphic images of oral and genital sex between adult males, was filed...

Plenty of gamers would give their left arm to be included in Grand Theft Auto IV. Miami attorney Jack Thompson, however, claims that he's depicted in the game and wants out. And he threatens to block the release of GTA IV if Rockstar doesn't comply....

Jack Thompson has filed documents with a federal court in Florida requesting to subpoena President George W. Bush for a deposition to retain Thompson’s license to practice law. Thompson, the bane of gamers everywhere, is in the midst of two ethic complaints which were filed by the Florida Bar and will face a court appointed mediator on November 26th. Wacky Jacky is currently suing the mediator, Judge Dava Tunis, along with the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar. Thompson’s reasons for subpoenaing The President are a bit esoteric and would make great fodder for an X-Files episode or anything...

According to GamePolitics, the Florida Bar proposed late last week that anti-game activist and attorney, Jack Thompson, submit to psychological testing and accept a 91-day suspension of his law license. The interesting part? This isn't the first time. Thompson is currently locked in a pair of federal lawsuits against the Bar, and the latter decided to hold a disciplinary hearing against Thompson based on several complaints. These complaints center on the attorney's professional - or lack thereof - conduct when involved in recent court battles with the likes of Grand Theft Auto and Bully. Thus far, the June 25 hearing...

Just when you thought it was safe to check your inbox. Miami attorney and anti-game activist Jack Thompson was back at it again today. It seems Mr. Thompson is taking issue with the pending release of Microsoft's Halo 3 game, currently being enjoyed by 360 owners everywhere with its multiplayer beta. Thompson forwarded Game Almighty a copy of the following letter supposedly sent along to Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates: [---------------] Bill Gates Microsoft Corporation Redmond, Washington Re: Halo 3 Dear Mr. Gates: As you know, the Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly found that games rated “Mature” by the video game...

hus ain't got nothin' on Jack Thompson. The infamous anti-games lawyer, who former ESA head Doug Lowenstein said should be ignored by the gaming press, is suing Take-Two Interactive to prevent the sale of Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Thompson plans to file suit the week of March 19 and he is looking to "prevent the sale of two hyperviolent video games set to be released this year and sold to anyone under 17 years of age." Which reads like two objectives. In the following paragraph, the clarification is that the games shouldn't be sold to anyone under...

GamePolitics has learned that controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson faces a disciplinary hearing before a referee appointed by the Florida Supreme Court. The pending judicial review follows a recent recommendation by the Florida Bar that five counts of professional misconduct against Thompson should proceed to the state’s high court for action. If the charges are eventually upheld, Thompson could face disciplinary action up to and including disbarment. Among the counts of misconduct facing Thompson, three are directly related to the activist attorney’s ongoing campaign against video game violence. Those counts involve Thompson’s participation as plaintiff’s attorney in Strickland vs. Sony,...

Thompson starts another fight as Bully issue simmers Judge recuses himself from Bully case while Florida lawyer turns his attention to Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for "an unauthorized commercial exploitation" of his likeness. By Tor Thorsen, Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot Posted Oct 26, 2006 5:37 pm PT Those who thought the denial of Jack Thompson's attempt to have Take-Two's Bully banned would leave the Florida attorney quietly sulking in the corner apparently don't know Jack. While Thompson couldn't stop Bully from being released, he did have choice words for the judge who heard his case, and he was made to appear before...

The developers of controversial videogame Bully have defended the title in the wake of a threatened injunction in Florida, in the US. Lawyer Jack Thompson is attempting to stop the game going on sale, arguing it would cause a public nuisance. The judge in the case has agreed to take a look at the title and play it before reaching a decision. A spokesman for developers Rockstar said the game had a teen-only rating in the US and a 15 rating in the UK. Mr Thompson filed his legal action last month, claiming that the game would violate Florida's public-nuisance...

Acting on a Florida lawyer’s suggestion that violent video games may have figured in Tuesday’s slaying of a West Feliciana Parish man, sheriff’s deputies searched the home of one teenage suspect again on Thursday. West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Capt. Spence Dilworth said deputies seized several video games rated “M” for “Mature” from the residence of Kurt Edward Neher, 16, but the detective said he is not drawing any conclusions from his findings. “I think it goes beyond video games, but who’s to say?” Dilworth said of the slaying of Michael Gore, 55, of 10077 La. 421, St. Francisville. Dilworth said...

Jack Thompson occasionally seeks to interject his video game theories into criminal investigations of youth violence. Sometimes he succeeds, as in a Louisiana homicide investigation currently being conducted by the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office (WFPSO). West Feliciana Parish is a largely unincorporated area of central Louisiana.... According to Thompson, published reports that the 16-year-old confessed to police that he and the other boy killed Gore because the victim would not let him borrow his car followed "the same scenario in Grand Theft Auto." An autopsy showed that Gore had been shot in the face and beaten. "Nobody shoots anybody...

The sewer-mouth by the name of Howard Stern once denounced Jack Thompson as a "lunatic lawyer" for getting him kicked off radio stations. Considering the source, this is why this statement is featured as a badge of honor on the cover of Thompson's book, Out of Harm's Way, about the dangers posed by what passes for "entertainment" on television, radio and video games. The book not only describes how Thompson has waged a valiant legal war on those who pollute our culture, it offers evidence of direct harm caused by what children see, read and hear. SNIP To the disgrace...