JONATHAN TURLEY

Thou Shalt Not File Frivolous Lawsuits: School Board Seeks Way to Stop Endless Lawsuits by Alabama Preacher

Alabama preacher Orlando Bethel and his wife Glynis appear to like render upon Caesar what is Caesar’s in the form of a continual stream of lawsuits. Now the Baldwin County’s school board has asked a judge block further lawsuits. The Bethels responded, you guessed it, by filing another lawsuit for $5 million.

The Bethels object to the denial of permission to set up a Christian after-school program and accuse the Board of religious bias against them. The board says that the Bethels have already cost them over $30,000 in legal fees so it filed with the local Circuit Court asking “for guidance in hopes of preventing prolonged legal expense to the taxpayers.”

“Guidance” is generally viewed as an advisory opinion, but some courts have barred filings from habitual litigants who file frivolous lawsuits. The Bethels have more than a dozen federal lawsuits against various government entities in Alabama, including the Baldwin school board, the town of Loxley and the cities of Selma, Montgomery and Robertsdale.

A bizarre video for “Corrupt Cops: Repent or Burn in Hell” appears to feature their work, here. Another protest video is shown here.

Previously, they complained that Orlando was beaten when he appeared at his wife’s uncle’s funeral to tell everyone that they (and the deceased) were going to hell, here. Glynis Bethel referred to her uncle as a “drunkard and a fornicator.” That always adds to a funeral.

There is a “Repent or Burn in Hell Ministry” connected with Westboro and features the work of the Bethels here.

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