No. 22-7545

Maude Laroche-St. Fleur v. Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, et al.

Lower Court: Massachusetts
Docketed: 2023-05-15
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP
Tags: attorney-discipline constitutional-rights due-process equal-protection fair-proceedings fourteenth-amendment judicial-immunity state-court state-court-jurisdiction
Key Terms:
AdministrativeLaw ERISA SocialSecurity DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2023-09-26 (distributed 2 times)
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a State court is permitted to issue decisions in conflict with Supreme Court precedents and violate fundamental rights under the Fourteenth Amendment

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court seized Petitioner’s law license for 18 months since March 25, 2022. This seizure is based upon the recommendation of the Board of Bar Overseers (“the BBO”), a subsidiary State ; agency of the court. Both the BBO and the court have exclusive jurisdiction over all matters involving attorneys admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The BBO’s duties include handling complaints against attorneys for misconduct. This case stems from Petitioner’s underlying divorce case. . The three questions presented are: 1. Whether, when dealing with its citizens, a State court is permitted to | issue decisions that are in direct conflict with this Court’s precedents, and in violation of the fundamental inalienable rights to fair proceedings and equal . protection under Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. 2. Whether the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 4:01, § 9 (3), vesting in the BBO and its entire staff immunity from liability for any conduct in : the course of their official duties, is void for vagueness when the BBO’s actions and omissions create an adversarial environment that makes the BBO a fortress to reckon with. 3. Whether a State highest court’s failure to adjudicate a case on its merits is permissible, where the party is left with nowhere to turn to vindicate their . fundamental inalienable Constitutional rights. oi

Docket Entries

2023-10-02
Petition DENIED.
2023-06-22
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/26/2023.
2023-06-01
Waiver of right of respondent Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachussetts, et al. to respond filed.
2023-05-15
Motion (22M103) for leave to file a petition for a writ of certiorari with the supplemental appendix under seal Granted.
2023-04-19
MOTION (22M103) DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/11/2023.
2023-02-24
Motion (22M103) for leave to file a petition for a writ of certiorari with the supplemental appendix under seal filed.
2023-02-24
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due June 14, 2023)
2023-01-17
Application (22A640) granted by Justice Jackson extending the time to file until February 24, 2023.
2023-01-10
Application (22A640) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from January 25, 2023 to February 24, 2023, submitted to Justice Jackson.

Attorneys

Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachussetts, et al.
David R. MarksOffice of the Massachussetts Attorney General, Respondent
David R. MarksOffice of the Massachussetts Attorney General, Respondent
Maude Laroche-St. Fleur
Maude Laroche-St. Fleur — Petitioner
Maude Laroche-St. Fleur — Petitioner