Lèse-majesté is the crime of offending the majesty of the sovereign, of insulting or demeaning or disrespecting the head honcho. It crops up formally here and there around the world (a person who posted on Facebook in an uncomplementary way to the King of Thailand is now serving a 35 year sentence for the crime, and in a number of countries even insulting a foreign head of state can land you in trouble).
Of course, even where lèse-majesté laws aren’t on the books, you can still get in trouble for saying mean things about the people in power, especially if they have angry mobs or secret police to enforce their bidding. Perceived opponents of Vladimir Putin, whether protesters or journalists or oligarchs, tend to not end well.
And then there’s the United States, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where freedom of speech — particularly political speech — is enshrined in the very foundation of our laws.
Unless the guy in charge of enforcing those laws decides you’re dissing him.
Jeff Sessions’ Justice Department plans to put a woman who laughed at the now-attorney general back on trial yet again, a federal prosecutor told a D.C. judge here on Friday. Desiree Fairooz, a woman taken into custody after she laughed during Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing, will go to trial in November for a second time.
Fairooz broken into brief laughter during Sessions’ confirmation hearing upon the assertion by another Senator that Sessions had a record of “treating all Americans equally under the law.” A rookie Capitol cop took her into custody, at which point Fairooz protested more loudly and vocally.
Fairooz was tried in federal court disorderly and disruptive conduct and demonstrating inside the Capitol, after rejecting a plea deal, and a jury found her guilty — but later stated they were focused on her behavior upon being arrested, not on the initial laughter.
The government, however, had explicitly argued during the trial that Fairooz’s laughter, in and of itself, would have been enough to find her guilty. Morin, the judge overseeing the trial, rejected that assertion and tossed out the jury’s verdict, calling the government’s argument that laughter alone was sufficient to sustain a guilty verdict “disconcerting.” He ordered a new trial.
Fairooz declined another plea deal that would admit guilt, and the Justice Dept. has since decided that the best way to spend taxpayer money (recall that we are in the midst of a national financial crisis, according to Our President) is to spend the time and effort to once again seek a conviction for laughing at the thought that their new boss treats “all Americans equally under the law.” Fellow protesters (who didn’t just laugh) received suspended sentences, but it’s unclear what Fairooz faces should the Justice Dept. prosecutors convince the judge this time that her lèse-majesté is so serious a crime that they had to prosecute her twice to be sure justice was done.
[h/t +Stan Pedzick]
Jeff Sessions’ DOJ To Put Woman Who Laughed At Jeff Sessions On Trial Yet Again
Desiree Fairooz’s brief chuckle during the attorney general’s confirmation hearing in January has turned into a nine-month ordeal, and it’s not over yet.
This is, I think, how fascism occurs – not all at once but in a slow, inexorable creep from some decency and fairness and rule of law to autocracy and the excess of the state. In fairness, this inequity has been lived truth for minorities in US since there has been a US, but when they came for the minorities we did not speak out because we weren't minorities.
Now they come for us, and perhaps we deserve it.
Great phrase that I was unaware of, thanks for putting a name to the horrible behavior.