Get Off My Honor: A Review

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

Student writes:

Merlyn_LeRoy, is the ACLU declining to accept court-authorized payments?

 

Of course not; litigation is expensive.

 

I was under the impression they accepted payment awards and contributions and they paid their lawyers.

 

Sure, but their clients don't pay anything regardless of whether the ACLU wins or loses the case.

 

"Free" is what you do as a volunteer Scouter.

 

"Free" is also how the ACLU litigates with respect to its clients. It may cost the government if the courts find that the government violated someone's civil rights, but the government isn't supposed to be doing that, anyway.

 

[stlscouter 10]

with respect- The fact that the government ( we are the government) has to pay is and has been improved for the ACLU because many of the suits are venue shopped and/or class enhanced.

 

My question is still/was has the ACLU ever been sued for wrongful/malicious/frivilous action and been sactioned or had to pay $ as a result. My guess is no. But as with some recent actions the mere THREAT of civil action by the ACLU has caused schools etc to stop supporting scouting rather than incur a lawsuit because "litigation is expensive". So again the odds are in the ACLU's favor.

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

stlscouter writes:

with respect- The fact that the government ( we are the government) has to pay is and has been improved for the ACLU because many of the suits are venue shopped and/or class enhanced.

 

The government only has to pay when they violate people's civil rights, and the ACLU sues on their behalf. If you REALLY want to cut off the ACLU, make sure your government doesn't violate the civil rights of its citizens, and the ACLU will stop winning civil rights lawsuits.

 

My question is still/was has the ACLU ever been sued for wrongful/malicious/frivilous action and been sactioned or had to pay $ as a result. My guess is no.

 

I don't know, but the ACLU tries not to file wrongful, malicious, or frivilous lawsuits.

 

But as with some recent actions the mere THREAT of civil action by the ACLU has caused schools etc to stop supporting scouting rather than incur a lawsuit because "litigation is expensive".

 

Nope, that's the BSA's dishonest PR reason for dropping public school charters. The real reason is very simple:

 

1) any organization that charters a scout unit has to practice religious discrimination by excluding atheists.

 

2) public schools and other government organizations can't do that.

 

The ACLU press release has both their letter to the BSA and the BSA's reply:

http://www.aclu-il.org/news/press/000259.shtml

 

So again the odds are in the ACLU's favor.

 

What "odds"? Public schools cannot charter youth groups that have any sort of religious requirement for membership.

[stlscouter 10]

again with respect- the government is US. The ACLU tries not to file fivolous /malicious/ wrongful- actions yet not one payment to anyone-curious. The ACLU always wins. My original big league comparison was totally wrong.(This message has been edited by stlscouter)

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

stlscouter writes:

again with respect- the government is US.

 

Yes, and I don't think my government should unlawfully infringe on the civil rights of its citizens, and they (we) SHOULD pay the legal fees of people whose rights have been infringed, so those people suffer no out-of-pocket expenses on top of having had their rights violated.

 

The ACLU tries not to file fivolous /malicious/ wrongful- actions yet not one payment to anyone-curious.

 

What do you mean, "curious"? If the ACLU litigates fairly and honestly, I would EXPECT that they do not have to pay fines or other people's legal fees.

 

The ACLU always wins. My original big league comparison was totally wrong.

 

The ACLU doesn't always win, but I think I've read somewhere that their batting average is around 80%.

[stlscouter 10]

so the 20% of the cases they lose the defendant gets no relief and has to pay his own lawyer. Does this seem like the thread that was titled "Heads they win tails you lose"?