A Texas judge has warned a lawyer to watch his Facebook posts involving prayers before, during, or after a trial … but the lawyer isn’t about to give up without a fight!
In an interview with WFAA, Mark Griffith, a defense attorney in Waxahachie, told the judge, “If you want to pick a fight with me about my religion, you’ve probably picked the wrong person.”
He added, “There’s not going to be a motion, and there’s not going to be any order from any court, that’s going to keep me from praying and asking for God’s wisdom as I’m fighting for his children.”
Via TheBlaze:
A Texas lawyer is defending his First Amendment rights after a judge called him out over Facebook posts in which the lawyer talks about his personal faith.
“If you want to pick a fight with me about my religion, you’ve probably picked the wrong person,” Mark Griffith, a defense attorney in Waxahachie, told WFAA-TV.
The Ellis County district attorney’s office last week filed a motion alleging that Griffith violated state ethics rules by posting too much information about one of his ongoing cases. The office included several of Griffith’s Facebook posts, which it deemed inappropriate.
In one of the posts cited, Griffith stated that after the questioning of a witness came to an end, he “said a prayer” which was “answered immediately, and we got to the truth with this hostile witness.”
Another post, cited as evidence, features the lawyer explaining how he will prepare for his upcoming trial: “Monday will begin with me on my knees asking God for his wisdom, his peace and his passion as I stand as the voice for my client.”
(Image source: WFAA-TV)
Neither post seems to make any mention regarding specifics of a case. The judge may be arguing that defining a witness as hostile could taint public perception, but it’s not uncommon for lawyers to try to win the public perception battle. Not to mention, a ‘hostile witness’ is an actual legal term.
The second post is 100% generic and the only topic is prayer, so there’s no way the judge isn’t focusing on the religious aspect of Griffith’s posts.
Watch Griffith fight back below:
Comment: Who is in the right here – the judge or the lawyer? Are Griffith’s religious and free speech rights being trampled? Sound off below!
