A year ago, I was a regulatory attorney with minimal federal
court experience. Today, I've filed two emergency mandamus petitions with the
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals—and we still may not get basic fairness from the
courts.
My client Thomas Richards has operated SpirituallySmart.com
for 25 years, sharing biblical research from his powerful testimony and exposing
institutional deceptions. When X Corp began systematically suppressing his
content while its owner simultaneously serves in government, we faced an
unprecedented constitutional question and needed to act. Tommy guided me to
combine my 15 years of legal training with AI assistance—a decision that reveals
more of the devastating truth about America's justice system.
The Harsh Reality
Even with an Ivy League education, (Columbia College undergrad and
NYU law degrees), 15 years of legal experience, federal agency background, and
cutting-edge AI assistance, Federal Judge Brantley Starr has spent weeks
obstructing our constitutional case and emergency orders for relief:
- “Misreading”
clear contract language to pretend I was legally required to bring the
case in a forum where the judges own Tesla stock and/or are devout
supporters of the Vatican
- Offering
procedural options (right to proceed without local counsel upon submitting
a motion) then denying them without explanation
- Mischaracterizing
our arguments to justify harsher treatment (pretending that when I said
the entire requirement for local counsel was proven arbitrary when they
expanded the geography to 600+ miles—that what I actually meant was that I
wanted to be forced to use a local counsel within 50 miles)
- Pretending
that we said that the only issue that should stop Musk from censoring was
his “temporary” position at DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency)
when we had a detailed list of examples of other government involvement having
nothing to do with DOGE.
- Forcing
us to spend $1,200 on two emergency appeals each time the judge did
something completely unjust
And we still might lose—not on the merits, but due to
procedural games. Judges seem to ordinarily support each other. Will we really get
a fair hearing, especially when Judge Starr used to be Deputy First Assistant Attorney
General in Texas?
What About Everyone Else?
If someone with every conceivable advantage faces this level
of systematic obstruction, what happens to ordinary Americans?
The working father fighting unfair fines can't afford a
lawyer. When he represents himself, judges and opposing counsel treat him like
a joke. He doesn’t know the court rules. He misses a deadline or misunderstands
something. Court clerks roll their eyes. The system mocks pro se litigants
while creating procedural mazes designed to defeat them.
The small business owner whose rights are violated? She'll
never understand federal court procedures. The single mother jailed for unpaid
court fees from an old traffic ticket? The system will chew her up and spit her
out. The system will chew her up and spit her out.
The Brutal Truth
Most Americans cannot afford legal representation. A typical
federal case costs $50,000-$200,000 in attorney fees. Constitutional cases can
cost much more.
So ordinary people try to represent themselves—and the
system destroys them. Judges who claim to care about justice treat pro se
litigants with barely concealed contempt. Lawyers smirk at their filings. Court
staff acts like their cases are burdens.
Even when citizens have valid constitutional claims, the
procedural requirements are designed to defeat them. Miss one filing deadline?
Case dismissed. Forget to file some procedural form? Motion denied. Don’t know
an obscure local rule? Start over.
The System is 100% Corrupt
This isn't about needing better lawyers or more technology.
The system itself is corrupt and unjust.
Judges can:
- Ignore
their own rules without consequence
- Create
impossible procedural requirements
- Mischaracterize
legal arguments to justify bias
- Force
expensive appeals over basic fairness
- Mock
citizens who can't afford representation
The courts don't serve justice—they serve power. Wealthy
corporations get favorable treatment. Government officials get deference.
Ordinary citizens get contempt.
Beyond the Courtroom: Systemic Theft and Imprisonment
The corruption extends far beyond procedural games. The
system actively preys on the poor and vulnerable:
Civil Asset Forfeiture - Government-Sanctioned Theft:
Police seize billions in cash, cars, and even homes from citizens who are never
charged with crimes. In Philadelphia, African Americans make up 44% of the
population but suffer 71% of cash forfeitures
(https://www.splcenter.org/20171030/civil-asset-forfeiture-unfair-undemocratic-and-un-american).
The average (median) seizure? Under $200—but fighting it costs thousands in
legal fees. Since 2000, states and the federal government have stolen at least
$68.8 billion through forfeiture
(https://ij.org/press-release/new-report-finds-civil-forfeiture-rakes-in-billions-each-year-does-not-fight-crime-2/).
This is literally government theft, and good luck getting a competent lawyer to
help you fight it.
Modern Debtors' Prisons: Despite being
"abolished" in 1833, thousands of Americans are jailed each year for
unpaid fines and court fees. In Mississippi, people are sent to
"restitution centers"—modern debtors' prisons with razor-wire fences
where the poor are imprisoned for owing money
(https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/2023/04/25/why-are-we-still-sending-people-to-jail-for-being-poor-its-time-to-truly-abolish-debtors-prisons/).
In Hardin County, Kentucky, six people were jailed in a single week for unpaid
court costs (https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/2023/04/25/why-are-we-still-sending-people-to-jail-for-being-poor-its-time-to-truly-abolish-debtors-prisons/).
The Ferguson investigation found 96% of those jailed on warrants for unpaid
fines were Black (https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/2023/04/25/why-are-we-still-sending-people-to-jail-for-being-poor-its-time-to-truly-abolish-debtors-prisons/).
The Criminalization of Poverty: Can't pay a traffic
ticket? Go to jail. Behind on court fees? Jail. Too poor to pay probation
costs? Back to jail. Courts use "contempt" as a pretext to imprison
people whose only crime is poverty, creating an endless cycle where
incarceration makes it even harder to pay (https://www.texasappleseed.org/fines-fees,
https://www.npr.org/2014/05/21/313118629/supreme-court-ruling-not-enough-to-prevent-debtors-prisons,
https://apnews.com/general-news-c088ef18e04d493aaa987c255f6d2df9,
).
And why should you even need a lawyer to defend against
this? Why do they make it so complicated and impossible for any normal person?
Because the complexity is the point—it's designed to ensure you fail.
My Own Experience
I knew the legal system had problems, but it still has been
a surprise when this happened to me. I know a lot of it is related to my client’s
work, and the systematic attempt from all angles to silence him. One would
think with good arguments and proper procedure, we'd at least get a fair
hearing. But so far that has not happened.
Even with every possible advantage, I've discovered judges
can simply ignore the rules when it suits them. Despite elite credentials and
AI assistance, getting basic procedural fairness has required two emergency
appeals—and we still might be denied. Without AI to help draft these complex
filings? It would have been 20 times harder. No one should have to go through
this.
The Devastating Reality for Regular People
If we are going through this with every advantage
imaginable, regular Americans have no chance. None.
The small business owner gets his cash seized by police who
claim—without evidence—it's drug money. The single mother gets jailed for
unpaid fines while trying to feed her children. The working father loses his
car to forfeiture, then his job, then gets imprisoned for missing court—all for
a traffic ticket he couldn't afford.
The system doesn't just fail them—it actively hunts them. It
steals their property, locks them in cages for being poor, then mocks them when
they try to fight back without lawyers they can't afford.
What This Means
Constitutional rights are meaningless if only the wealthy
can enforce them. Equal justice under law is a lie when the system is rigged
against regular people.
My client's 25-year mission to share biblical truth through
SpirituallySmart.com has been systematically suppressed by both Big Tech and
now federal courts. But his case reveals a larger truth: America's justice
system has failed its most basic promise.
When judges can obstruct constitutional cases without
consequence, when the government can steal your property without charging you
with a crime, when being poor is effectively criminalized, when basic fairness
is a luxury only the privileged can afford—democracy itself is dead.
The courts claim to dispense justice while running a
protection racket for the powerful. They imprison the poor for owing hundreds
while letting corporations steal billions. They demand respect for the law
while showing contempt for those who can't afford lawyers.
This is America's justice system: a predatory machine
designed to extract wealth from the vulnerable while protecting those who
already have everything.
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