Jack Thompson

John Bruce Thompson (born July 25, 1951) is an American activist and disbarred attorney.

As an attorney, Thompson focused his legal efforts against what he perceives as obscenity in modern culture.

Thompson gained recognition as an anti-video game activist, criticizing the content of video games and their alleged effects on children.

He also targeted rap music and radio personality Howard Stern.

Thompson first met Janet Reno in November 1975, when he applied for a job as an assistant state's attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida, but was not hired.

In 1976, they moved to Florida, where Thompson, working as a lawyer and then a fund-raiser for a Christian ministry, began attending the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church and became a born-again Christian.

Thompson admits to having a "colorful disciplinary history" as an attorney.

Thompson also sued the station for violating a December 1987 agreement to end on-air harassment against him.

For the next eight months, Thompson recorded all of Rogers' broadcasts and documented 40,000 mentionings of his name.

Thompson claimed that one of the terms of his agreement with the station was that the station would pay him $5,000 each time his name was mentioned, totaling $200 million in the suit.

In 1988, Thompson became involved in a feud with WIOD Radio host Neil Rogers, after Thompson was instrumental in persuading the FCC to fine WIOD $10,000 for airing such parody songs as "Boys Want Sex in the Morning" on Rogers' show.

In 1988, he ran for prosecutor against then-incumbent Dade County State Attorney Janet Reno, after she had declined his request to prosecute Neil Rogers.

Thompson gave Reno a letter at a campaign event requesting that she check a box to indicate whether she was homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual.

Thompson said that Reno then put her hand on his shoulder and responded, "I'm only interested in virile men. That's why I'm not attracted to you."

He filed a police report accusing her of battery for touching him.

In response, Reno asked Florida governor Bob Martinez to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate.

The special prosecutor rejected the charge, concluding that it was "a political ploy".

Reno was ultimately re-elected with 69% of the vote.

Thompson repeated allegations that Reno was a lesbian when she was nominated as U.S. Attorney General, leading one of her supporters, lieutenant governor Buddy MacKay, to dismiss him as a "kook".

In 1990, after his election loss, Thompson began a campaign against the efforts of Switchboard of Miami, a social services group of which Reno was a board member.

Thompson charged that the group placed "homosexual-education tapes" in public schools.

Switchboard responded by getting the Supreme Court of Florida to order that he submit to a psychiatric examination.

Thompson did so and passed.

Thompson has since stated that he is "the only officially certified sane lawyer in the entire state of Florida".

Thompson came to national prominence in the controversy over 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be album.

(Luke Skyywalker Records, the company of 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell, had previously released a record supporting Reno in her race against Thompson.) On January 1, 1990, he wrote to Martinez and Reno asking them to investigate whether the album violated Florida obscenity laws.

Although the state prosecutor declined to proceed with an investigation, Thompson pushed local officials in various parts of the state to block sales of the album, along with N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton.

In sending documents to opponents, Thompson would frequently attach a photocopy of his driver's license, with a photo of Batman pasted over his own.

Thompson said, "I have sent my opponents pictures of Batman to remind them I'm playing the role of Batman. Just like Bruce Wayne helped the police in the movie, I have had to assist the sheriff of Broward County."

He also wore a Batman wristwatch.

Thompson compared Campbell to the Joker.

Thompson also said, "I understand as well as anybody that the First Amendment is a cornerstone of a free society—but there is a responsibility to people who can be harmed by words and thoughts, one of which is the message from Campbell that women can be sexually abused."

Thompson took issue with another 2 Live Crew song, "Banned in the U.S.A.", and he sent a letter to Jon Landau, manager of Bruce Springsteen, whose song "Born in the U.S.A." was to be sampled by the group.

Thompson suggested that Landau "protect 'Born in the U.S.A.' from its apparent theft by a bunch of clowns who traffic toxic waste to kids", or else Thompson would "be telling the nation about Mr. Springsteen's tacit approval" of the song, which, according to Campbell, "expresses anger about the failure of the First Amendment to protect 2 Live Crew from prosecution".

Thompson also said, "the 'social commentary' on this album is akin to a sociopath's discharging his AK-47 into a crowded schoolyard, with the machine gun bursts interrupted by Pee-wee Herman's views on politics".

Thompson's legal career was further recognized for his actions against The Florida Bar, including challenging its constitutionality in 1993.

In 2008, he was permanently disbarred by the Supreme Court of Florida for inappropriate conduct, including making false statements to tribunals and disparaging and humiliating litigants.

Thompson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, attended Cuyahoga Falls H.S. and attended Denison University.

He received media attention when he hosted his own political talk show on the college radio station.

He then attended Vanderbilt University Law School, where he met his wife, Patricia.