Harvard’s CMLP has got my back.

Harvard’s Citizen Media Law Project, a part of the Berkman Center, is my new best friend:

In perhaps the most blatant misuse of the subpoena power we’ve seen since the subpoena served on Kathleen Seidel of Neurodiversity last March, a lawyer for Thomas Garrett of Virginia has served a patently overbroad subpoena on blogger Waldo Jaquith, who publishes cvillenews.com,
a community news blog about Charlottesville, Virginia.

They go on. And on. And on. It’s just a joy to read. Working on my motion to quash this week, I was wondering if I was just delusional in thinking that the facts in this case area really, really clearly on my side, and that this subpoena is abusively broad. Turns out that I was onto something.

This is not the first time that the Berkman Center has helped me out. I’m a big fan of their work. Let’s see if Tommy Garrett sues the Harvard Law School now. I’d pay good money to see that.

Published by Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Char­lottes­­ville, VA, USA. more »

9 replies on “Harvard’s CMLP has got my back.”

  1. It looks like a minor setback for him right now, but Tommy Garrett is quickly re-writing his resume to indicate that he graduated at the top of his class with a JD from Yale before acing the bar exam in each of the lower 48 states.* Harvard Law School doesn’t scare him! He can print out a piece of paper saying he’s licensed to practice law, too!

    *this was before he was best friends with Jimmy Carter but after he personally stormed ashore at Incheon in the same boat with Gen. Douglas MacArthur, for those of you keeping track at home

  2. AKA “SLAPP suits.” They’re just wretched. I don’t know anything about this matter other than what’s in the Times’ article, but it sounds just like your standard SLAPP suit. I’d love to see them barred in Virginia. Though I can’t envision what that legislation would look like, enough other places in the U.S. have done so that there should be plenty of examples available.

  3. There seems to be something of an industry in builder suits. Interesting. In any event, I’d be skeptical of any law purporting to bar SLAPP suits – one man’s SLAPP is another man’s standing up for his rights (or something like that). In any event, I sure would like to see Rule 11 sanctions against the worst of these (Rule 11 sanctions the *attorney* whole file improper or frivolous suits).

  4. Oh, brother. I just read your subpoena. How excessive. How invasive. He’s got no more right to the IP addresses of everyone who ever viewed your article than the FBI has a right to review the library circulation history of any book, no matter how inflammatory, unless they’ve got a criminal warrant. Good thing you’ve hooked up with CMLP. I can’t wait to see your Motion to Quash. You have my sympathy and solidarity.

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