A Mississippi judge yesterday jailed a lawyer who refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in his courtroom.
Attorney Danny Lampley, 49, was taken into custody Wednesday morning after Chancellor Talmadge Littlejohn cited him for criminal contempt of court for failing to recite the 31-word Pledge at the outset of the morning’s proceedings at the Lee County courthouse.
An October 6 order signed by Talmadge notes that Lampley was being charged for his “failure to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance as ordered.” Lampley, the judge added, “shall purge himself of said criminal contempt…by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in open court.”
Lampley was jailed for nearly five hours before Littlejohn ordered his release so that the lawyer could be present for a “previously set hearing before the Court.” The attorney, no longer in stripes, returned to the Tupelo courthouse after being sprung from jail.
It is unclear whether Lampley, who does not believe citizens are required to recite the Pledge, will again be sanctioned by Littlejohn if he takes a pass on the Pledge.
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3 Responses
This judge souds like a real nut case. The supreme court decided many years ago that one could not be required to recite ANYTHING be it the Pledge, a prayer o, or a love of apple pie.
It’s scary to thionk that this judg3e can actually order incarceration according to his whims.
Obama is going to change the words to “I pledge allegiance to the flag of Africa” or wherever he originates from”!!!
Mr. wheelchair – you are completely off topic. You have a completely different agenda and there are appropriate places to voice your opinion – but this isn’t the place.