Rather than just appeal the unfavorable rulings of judges, he often sues them, making them part of the lawsuits they presided over. While other lawyers rarely file recusal motions – a litigation tactic employed to remove a judge from a case because of alleged bias – he seems to use them as a matter of practice: Since 1994 (until 2000), he filed at least 28 recusal motions, sometimes half a dozen in the same case. And what judge wouldn't find it difficult to be unbiased against a lawyer who sues him for $50 million, particularly after the lawyer has threatened to ruin that judge's career? Wightman also has a penchant for suing opposing counsel, claiming they have destroyed evidence, lied about the facts, or engaged in illicit conspiracies with disreputable judges. It's all part of his self-appointed, one-man reform movement..."
The Dallas Observer
March 2, 2000
By Juan Montoya
That was way back in 2000, when Wightman was still a lawyer.
Two years later, in January 2002, the judiciary and the state bar had had enough of the drama queen and disbarred him.
Still, he kept a website and stationery that stated he was an "attorney and mediator" and said he was in good standing with the U.S. Supreme Court. Then the Dallas County District Attorney accepted his plea and convicted him of unauthorized practice of the law, a misdemeanor.Had he elected not to plea, he could have been convicted of a felony charge of holding himself out to be a lawyer. Whoosh went the website and the claim that he was an attorney.
Less than a year later, in 2004, the Supreme Court disbarred him as well and ended that little racket.
And that's' why in 2014 we have this drama queen in Brownsville, Texas, dispensing his legal expertise and bestowing upon the peasants his keen legal precepts and unassailable standards for all to emulate and follow.
And as the kid in the commercial says: "Mom, he's at it again."
Wigthman, like most drama queens, loves attention. He also likes to make outrageous pronunciations (the most outrageous the better), and revels in imagining he has the audience he might have had when he held sway in a courtroom as a bona fide attorney (Ah, sweet memories!). Remember Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" where it says, "Oh, Bennie she's a renegade?" That's the Bobby we all know and love!
Sound queer to you? Well, he's unabashedly so and gives gay people a bad name.
But since he doesn't have the courtroom as a forum to amaze and dazzle the peons, casting aspersions through his website (yes, he has another one) at everyone and their mother will do.
His signature scribblings are meant to outrageous and bombastic. He will – unless you do as he orders – bring down the spite of Da Lord and smite you where you stand. Here's a sampling of what he did before his he came to Brownsville.
In a January 8, 2004 letter to Gov. Rick Perry, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot, et al, Wightman charging that his rights of free speech was being violated when they disbarred him and a judge shut down the offending website, he issued this ultimatum:
*"If the (Dallas) County settles by 5 p.m. tomorrow, for a payment of $250,000, I will agree not to sue the county or include the county in a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) action being filed against (President George Bush), the State Bar, all members of the (Texas) Supreme Court in their administrative capacity over the State Bar, including former members (John) Cornyn (now a U.S. Senator), Abbott, and Enoch in creating an criminal enterprise to violate the civil rights of those that speak the truth about the corruption within the Texas judiciary..."
and, his conditions of surrender,
*"As part of the settlement, I will credit back to the County of Dallas any money recovered from...the complaining parties in the case...If Hughes and Luce (a law firm), will agree to represent me in said matter pro bono, I will release (them) for their role in this matter."
and, bombast,
"Also included in the RICO is an allegation that Bush, in both his capacity as Governor and as President has used his public office to create a criminal enterprise for the purpose of appointing judges committed to the violation of the civil rights of anyone who speaks out against the institutionalized corruption created for the benefit of Bush and his cronies."
and, en edict,
*"In the federal RICO part of the litigation I will include a request that the federal courts take administrative control over the Commission for Lawyer Conduct and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct."
and, another ultimatum,
*"If the State of Texas wishes to settle all claims with me, the state will reinstate my law license no later than 5 p.m. Friday, and agree to pay $500,000 in damages. I will credit back to the state any damages I win in my lawsuit against Allstate (insurance?) and other parties responsible for my illegal disbarment. Assistance from the state in finding a firm to bring the litigation, will only make it easier for me to recover the damages which will be refunded to the state. All of the parties will be sued on Monday in that the limitation runs out on Monday. To avoid being filed in Washington, D.C., the state will have to have an attorney on board to represent me and be prepared to file the lawsuit before the close of business Monday."
and, a word to the wise and the delusional,
*"If you think that (President George) Bush is not going to denounce these actions when confronted by the press, you are delusional. On Monday after filing the RICO in DC, I will be meeting with members of the (U.S.) Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss my evidence of Jane Boyle's role in this mess (Boyle was nominated by Bush to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas)..."
and, the threat,
*"After my meeting in DC I will be taking the train to NY to meet with Court TV..."
and, a warning to the president,
"If Bush lose credibility over this issue, his credibility on the (Iraq?) war will also be undermined. Once again, you are delusional if you think Bush's advisers are not going to advise him to denounce the judiciary in Texas. Along these lines, I am including Governor Perry for his role in continuing the criminal enterprise by appointing the most despicable people he can find to the Texas Supreme Court."
Thus, the disbarred lawyer who was run out of Dallas on a rail now holds court over the uninitiated among us, making alliances with the likes of the Hernandez vote-harvesting clan (Erin and Ernie).
What did our community do to deserve having this plague visited upon us?
And, most importantly, how long will it be before the local judiciary and bar – like those in Dallas County – put an end to his mad reign of terror?
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