TL;DR Justice
Around the world lady Justice is depicted as blindfolded, an indication of our understanding that law must remain unbiased, but all too often we find our institutions failing us. TL;DR Justice is a reference to the kind of decisions federal appellants (and pro se litigants in general) can expect in court, but also references the hurdles one faces in trying to be heard after facing judicial injustice. Typically only the court's decision is published, leaving victims to gather and host a mountain of documents with the hope that others are interested and willing enough to wade through them.
With the hope of clearing some of those hurdles, this site dissects and reassembles the court documents of one case from the Merit System Protection Board and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to show the extent to which our courts can and will completely ignore you.
The case is bolstered by FOIA responses revealing that the MSPB's inspector general has been inactive for more than a decade, and that in that time no judge has been disciplined for failure to meet performance standards. In 2014 the MSPB ruled in favor of the appellant less than 4% of the time. It's clear that there is desperate need for change.
The TL;DR for this case:
A postal employee was removed from his job after 36 years of unblemished service for being AWOL. He had left work due to intolerable working conditions caused by his whistleblower suit against one of the USPS's unions; the NALC, which has continued since 1994. During the initial appeal of his removal he caught his manager and the judge presiding lying on tape. In the three decisions related to his removal he was completely ignored, despite being an authority on postal service discipline, having actually helped create some of the protections he wished to invoke.
To begin exploring the case, start with the CAFC page. There you can see how the first half of the decision was taken straight from the DOJs brief and how the other half was spent dodging the appellant's arguments. Then check out the appellant's testimony, which has been colored to quickly show what was and was not addressed in the initial decision. From there you can check the Full Board's response or listen to the liars caught on tape. Wherever you start, it will quickly become clear that the MSPB is a problem that needs attention.
The case is bolstered by FOIA responses revealing that the MSPB's inspector general has been inactive for more than a decade, and that in that time no judge has been disciplined for failure to meet performance standards. In 2014 the MSPB ruled in favor of the appellant less than 4% of the time. It's clear that there is desperate need for change.
The TL;DR for this case:
A postal employee was removed from his job after 36 years of unblemished service for being AWOL. He had left work due to intolerable working conditions caused by his whistleblower suit against one of the USPS's unions; the NALC, which has continued since 1994. During the initial appeal of his removal he caught his manager and the judge presiding lying on tape. In the three decisions related to his removal he was completely ignored, despite being an authority on postal service discipline, having actually helped create some of the protections he wished to invoke.
To begin exploring the case, start with the CAFC page. There you can see how the first half of the decision was taken straight from the DOJs brief and how the other half was spent dodging the appellant's arguments. Then check out the appellant's testimony, which has been colored to quickly show what was and was not addressed in the initial decision. From there you can check the Full Board's response or listen to the liars caught on tape. Wherever you start, it will quickly become clear that the MSPB is a problem that needs attention.
A note from the site's creator
I created this site for the appellant my father, for USPS and federal workers nation wide, and for pro se litigants everywhere who have been ignored and rejected. My attempts to bring the MSPB's actions to light started with an article I published for CNN's ireport in August 2013, a few months before the CAFC's ruling (http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1020434). I was four when my father started his lawsuit against the NALC's officers; it started in 1994 and continues to this day. His removal was the Postal Service's final blow after 19 years of unrestrained assault, made possible by a union unwilling to protect a whistleblower. After growing up watching the abuse my father took as a result of his lawsuit, it was important for me to do anything I could to help.
After what we had seen at the MSPB, my father and I kept saying to ourselves "if only someone would read the brief, we can't lose." But we did lose, and there was little to no indication that the brief was read. It hit harder than I could have expected. I still wanted to believe that justice could be had, that our questions would be addressed. I had no way of preparing for the pain that comes from being completely ignored as we were. How can you let others treat people like this? How can you rule against us without addressing our arguments? How is this Justice? I was broken. I was angered beyond words. I felt that I had to do something, but what could I do after being shown how completely one could be ignored?
This site became the answer to my question. I realized there was nothing more damaging than these judges own words when presented in context. Here, in full light, the world will see what these courts think Justice is, as compared to the ideal we all hold dear.
I release this site today May 6th in memory of those who fell 22 years ago in postal shootings in California and Michigan. I do so in the hope that one day the people will know accountability, and that we will no longer find ourselves faced with individuals pushed to the point where violence is their only voice. Our TL;DR culture only helps the corrupt, it is up to us to change the tide.
This site became the answer to my question. I realized there was nothing more damaging than these judges own words when presented in context. Here, in full light, the world will see what these courts think Justice is, as compared to the ideal we all hold dear.
I release this site today May 6th in memory of those who fell 22 years ago in postal shootings in California and Michigan. I do so in the hope that one day the people will know accountability, and that we will no longer find ourselves faced with individuals pushed to the point where violence is their only voice. Our TL;DR culture only helps the corrupt, it is up to us to change the tide.
- Z.T. Noble