Thoughts in a Haystack

In the Giles County Ten Commandments case, the court has granted the plaintiffs permission to proceed anonymously. The judge has made clear that he will not tolerate any "leaking" of the plaintiffs' names or, should they come out, any harassment of them:

It is the intent of this Order to preserve the anonymity of the Plaintiffs to the greatest extent possible while affording the parties sufficient information to fully and fairly address the issues raised in this action. Any person failing to comply with the terms of this Order may be subject to contempt proceedings and penalties that may include fines and/or incarceration.

The Court further instructs that no harassment, threats, intimidation or interference with the Plaintiffs will be tolerated and violators will be subject to contempt proceedings.

While Liberty Counsel, the school board's attorneys, will be apprised of the names, they must insure that all "paralegals, legal assistants and other support staff" that are given the names are "first provided a copy of this Order, reviews it, understands it and understands that he/she is bound by its terms." In other words, if the names are leaked and that is traced to them, they and/or their bosses will be in front of a pissed-off Federal judge with no excuse that they didn't know they were in contempt of the court.

Similarly, Dr. Terry Arbogast, Superintendent of Giles County Public Schools, and Jeff Young, Network Administrator for Giles County Public Schools will learn the names of the plaintiffs, under the same conditions, for purposes of determining the plaintiffs' "standing."

And the "good folks" of Giles County have also been warned.

Trust me, being in front of a pissed-off Federal judge with justification to fine and/or imprison you is an uncomfortable place.

Let's hope nobody's fervor overcomes their self-interest.
.