Appellate judges fail to do justice for Kyle Brennan

Jonny Jacobsen at Infinite Complacency reports that the appellate judges meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 14 have announced denial of the appeal in Kyle Brennan vs The Church of Scientology a mere two business days after they heard the oral arguments. 

“After full review and oral argument, we conclude that... [Lirot] has demonstrated no reversible error in the district court’s order,”  said the court. Case dismissed.

Scientology spokeswoman Pat Harney told The Tampa Bay Times: “The ruling of the U. S. District Court in Tampa and the rapid affirmation of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta both confirm what we have said from the beginning — the evidence is overwhelming that the Brennan lawsuit never had any factual or legal basis.”

Leaving aside the preliminary details identifying the case, the actual ruling ran to just five lines.
In a response to the ruling, Lirot expressed his frustration that the court had not troubled itself to explain where his arguments had fallen down.

“What an incredible disappointment!” he wrote.

 “We will get no further explanation, no comment, and no articulation of where the arguments I made were inaccurate, insufficient, or wrong.

 “I despise those situations where a Court rules against me, but does not articulate any basis to support their decision.

 “It does not happen often, but this is clearly the worst example of that hollow practice.

 “We can go to the Supreme Court, but that is the equivalent of a lottery ticket, since they take less than 3% of the petitions filed with them.

 “A sad day for American justice, or the lack thereof.”

Read the whole thing. 

The rotten foundation of the decision of Judge Merryday to dismiss the case, which has now been affirmed by the appellate judges, is the travesty of the investigation into Kyle's death by Clearwater Police Detective Stephen Bohling with his cover up and massive lying about Kyle's diagnosis and every important aspect of the case.

The affair cries out for an independent investigation and re-opening of the case.

With the end of litigation Victoria Britton is completely free to speak. Once the people of America hear her voice we hope there will be a massive outcry to demand such an investigation that justice may be done and Kyle Brennan vindicated.

Scientology’s false portrayal of Victoria Britton and her quest for justice for the death of her son Kyle Brennan

The Church of Scientology has attempted to portray Kyle Brennan’s mother, Victoria Britton, in a very negative light. Here is a grieving mother, they say, who in her blind grief is flailing wildly about. She refuses, they say, to believe that her youngest child—Kyle—committed suicide, and is hell-bent on getting her ex-husband Thomas Brennan charged with a crime.

Kyle Brennan died under highly suspicious circumstances on a visit to his Scientologist father Tom Bternnan in Clearwater, Florida, in February 2007. Kyle died as a 20-year-old Enemy of the Church of Scientology.

In 2009 Victoria Britton filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology, Brennan, and his confidant and Scientology celebrity, Denise Miscavige Gentile, the twin sister of brutal Scientology leader David Miscavige.

In the suit the Appelees’ Joint Answer states: “Unsatisfied with the conclusions of the Clearwater Police Department, Victoria Britton complained to the FBI, the Florida Attorney General, the Justice Department and the Pinellas County State Attorney’s office insisting that her Scientologist ex-husband be charged with a crime. As a result, Doug Berry of the State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit conducted a review of the Clearwater Police Department’s investigation. He also concluded that Kyle’s death was a suicide with no criminal activity.”

What is clear is that Victoria Britton could not, and still cannot, understand (especially after looking closely at the Florida Statutes) the following: How could a father—after denying his  son access to his much-needed psychotropic medication, and then giving this same son access to a loaded .357 Magnum—not be charged with a crime? What kind of place allows people to do this kind of thing, and then walk away scot-free?

The defendants falsely claim that Victoria Britton has repeatedly stated that her son Kyle was murdered. Not only is this untrue, but it was the defendants themselves who first mentioned—in documents—that homicide was possibly the cause of Kyle’s death. In the Answer and Affirmative Defenses of Defendant Thomas Brennan it states: “Kyle Brennan’s death was either a suicide or homicide constituting an intervening act.” [ Doc: 53,page 3 of 4]

Victoria Britton, in the few conversations she had with Detective Stephen Bohling, only wanted to find out the truth and to make sense of the numerous inconsistencies surrounding the death of her son.

As to the Clearwater Police Department’s investigation, it’s difficult to understand how anyone could think that it was thorough or well-handled. When Officer Jonathan Yuen—the first policeman at the crime scene—was asked, for example, to describe his interview with Thomas Brennan, he stated: “A short, short period of time. Anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, I would say.” [Exhibit 18, Doc. 123, Page 11, Lines 13–14, Page ID 1817]

When asked whether he had further involvement in the investigation, he answered “No.” Asked if he discussed the matter with Detective Bohling, he said “No.” (Exhibit 18, Doc: 123 page ID 1818 page 15 lines 18-24)

So, in other words, the public is supposed to consider it comprehensive and thorough police work when a responding officer interviews the most important person at the crime scene for only 20 minutes, never returns to the crime scene, simply hands over his report to the detective taking over the investigation—a detective who, it must be said, never visits the crime scene—and then destroys the notes of that first important interview?( Exhibit 1, Doc:119 Page ID 1542 Page 9 lines 23-25 Page 10 line 1) ( Exhibit 1, Doc: 119 Page ID 1579 Page 158 lines 17-23) 

Consider that question along with the following information:

• ·        Brennan’s .357 Magnum was found near Kyle’s body, but the police never found the bullet that killed Kyle. (Exhibit 18 Doc: 123 Page Id 1826 page 48 lines 1-6)
• ·        They did not find the box of ammunition for the .357. (Exhibit1 Doc: 123 Page ID 1563 page 93 lines 25 Page 94 lines 1-8)
• ·        And they did not find Kyle’s laptop—it had been removed from the apartment before they arrived. (Exhibit 1 Doc: 123, Page ID 1547 page 31 lines 11-16)
• ·        Kyle’s fingerprints were nowhere to be found on over 12 separate pieces of evidence at the scene including the weapon and 10 rounds of ammunition. (CWPR SEC: 1 Doc: 170-1 Page 83)
• ·        Forensic Investigator Jennifer McCabe and Medical Investigator Marti Scholl arrived at the scene shortly after Yuen. McCabe swapped Kyle’s hands for a Gun Shot Residue (GSR) test to see if Kyle had pulled the trigger on the .357, but Bohling later blocked processing of the GSR, and lied to Kyle’s family telling them that the GSR test had not been done. (Exhibit 1 Doc:119 Page ID 1590 page 202 lines 1-9) 

Without fingerprints, without the bullet, and without a GSR test it is impossible to determine whether Kyle’s death was actually a suicide—and yet a suicide is what it was ruled. Without this important evidence it’s also impossible to determine whether Brennan’s .357 was used to kill Kyle.

This we are supposed to consider a well-run police investigation? This is what passes for thorough police work in the state of Florida?

The defendants’ claim that Victoria Britton complaints to the Justice Department and the FBI were because she was unsatisfied with the conclusions of the Clearwater Police Department in charging Thomas Brennan with a crime have been fabricated by the defendants’ .

The truth is that the complaints were filed because of concern that the investigation of her son’s death was not being investigated properly. 

In the deposition   of Stephen Bohling he stated “There was a call to the Justice Department, and I believe the FBI to follow up on, that, you know basically that I was not doing my job and they believed that the case should be turned over to someone else.  (Exhibit 1 Doc:119 Page ID 1551 Page 45 lines 15-22)

“ I only wanted to find out the truth and to make sense of the inconsistencies surrounding the death of my son. Detective Bohling was not interested.” – Victoria Britton.  (Exhibit 11 Doc: 170-11 Page ID 2711)

A reflection on Kyle Brennan as a young Catholic martyr to Scientology's hatred of psychiatry

The priest at the funeral Mass of Kyle Brennan in Charlottesville, Virginia, proclaimed that he had died as a martyr.

Kyle was a 20-year-old Catholic college student who died under highly suspicious circumstances while visiting his father Tom Brennan in Clearwater. Florida, in February 2007. Brennan had returned to the practice of Scientology in 1998 when he and his wife Victoria had separated. He became a staff member of the Scientology “org” (or church) in West Tampa in 2005.

While there he fell under the influence of a Scientology celebrity in Clearwater, Denise Miscavige Gentile, the twin sister of ruthless Scientology leader David Miscavige. Denise became Brennan’s confidant, close friend, and “auditor” or Scientology psychotherapist.

Late on the night of Friday, February 16, Kyle was discovered dead in the apartment of his father’s apartment in downtown Clearwater near the Fort Harrison Hotel, the advanced training center for Scientologists from all over the world.

Kyle had been shot in the head, and his father’s .357 Magnum was lying near his body. There is no evidence that Kyle committed suicide since there was no suicide note, and Kyle’s fingerprints were found nowhere including the revolver and ammunition found at the scene.

The investigating detective failed to process a Gun Shot Residue test, and so there is no evidence that Kyle pulled the trigger on his father’s weapon.

Despite all this the detective declared Kyle’s death a suicide. So suspicious were the circumstances of Kyle’s death that his mother Victoria Britton filed a wrongful death suit, which is reaching the final stage of appeal before a panel of three federal judges in Jacksonville, Florida, on the morning of Friday, September 14.

Kyle and his family are Catholics. When he was 17 he and Victoria visited the Church of St. Michael in Bamberg, Germany. Victoria’s remarkable account reveals that Kyle had committed himself to fight against evil under the banner of St. Michael and his army of angels who carry on the fight against Satan and all the evils of the world. His commitment would eventually require that he risk and lose his life resisting the evils of the Church of Scientology and in particular its hate-driven war for the “Global Obliteration of Psychiatry.”

In January 2006 Kyle was diagnosed as a mild depressive by his psychiatrist in Charlottesville and put on an anti-depressant. When Brennan discovered in June that Kyle was being treated he deceived Kyle into staying with him in August solely for the purpose of fulfilling the demands of Scientology to interfere with Kyle’s treatment and browbeat him into stopping his psychotherapy and medication.

Brennan became vehement telling Kyle that his mother was killing him with psychotherapy and his anti-depressant and that his psychiatrist would betray him and publish his patient records on the internet.

Kyle resisted strenuously saying that only an idiot would believe in L. Ron Hubbard. Kyle overhead Brennan and his Scientologist girl friend saying that Kyle was “an Enemy of the Church of Scientology.” Brennan later threatened him with physical violence, and Kyle fled back home.

In November after Thanksgiving Kyle set out on a two-month journey to visit schools in Iowa and relatives in California. He decided to visit his father in Clearwater on his way home arriving on February 7, 2007.

Brennan and Denise Miscavige resumed their attacks on Kyle, who once more resisted them.

They attempted to persuade Victoria to put Kyle into Scientology’s Narconon Arrowhead drug rehabilitation facility in Oklahoma. Narconon Arrowhead is a house of death where 4 young people ranging from 24 – 28 have died through medical incompetence in the last three years.

The Narconon rehabilitation facility is based exclusively on Scientology teachings, and Brennan and Miscavige hoped to get him there so he would break all connection with his standard psychiatric care.  Their attempt failed when Victoria resolutely rebuffed them.

They were forced to try other tactics and so resistant was Kyle that Brennan was driven to seizing Kyle’s medication and locking it in the trunk of his car the day before Kyle’s suspicious death.

Things got even more suspicious after Kyle’s death. When Brennan returned Kyle’s belongings to Victoria all documents had been deleted from his laptop as well as everything on his Ipod.

There should have been dozens of documents since Kyle was a prolific writer of short stories and a conscientious student who saved everything he wrote.

Kyle was a shrewd investor in gold coins with which he financed his journey. He had most of them amounting to several thousands of dollars when he arrived in Clearwater. When his belongings were returned all of them were missing.

The investigation of his death by the detective over the next two years was a travesty of police work, and it is clear from court documents that the detective, Brennan, and Denise Miscavige lied repeatedly about nearly every important aspect of Kyle’s case including falsifying the diagnosis of his psychiatrist turning him from a mild depressive into a paranoid schizophrenic.

Victoria Britton filed a wrongful death suit against Brennan, Denise Miscavige, her husband Jerry Gentile, and the organization that runs Scientology in Clearwater. A federal judge dismissed the case in December 2011 on very dubious legal grounds. Among other things he evidently did not study the depositions of the defendants. Had he done so the lies and obstruction of justice by the defendants would have been clear.

The final stage of the appeal will play out in the Federal Appeals Court in Jacksonville, Florida, on the morning of September 14 when a panel of three judges will hear final oral arguments in the appeal. They will make their decision known probably after Thanksgiving. [Update: The judges denied the appeal, but justice for Kyle is being sought on other fronts.]

Kyle became a young Catholic martyr resisting the attacks on him by Scientologists merely for being a mildly depressed college student. Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec and Archbishop Robert Rivas in St. Lucia have warned Catholic families about the dangers Scientology poses to Catholic young people. 

Jesuit Fr. John Coleman has described Scientology as a “totalitarian cult.” Fr. Randy Sly at Catholic Online has reported extensively on Scientology and has been attacked by a Scientology spokesman for reporting the truth as a Catholic journalist.

We invite Catholics and other Christians to be in prayer on the morning of September 14 for Victoria and particularly the judges that they may do justice for Kyle Brennan. Catholics in the Jacksonville area are invited to come to the appeals court at 8:00 am on Friday morning to serve as court watchers to manifest to the judges that the death of this young martyr and justice for him is of profound concern not only to Catholics but to all decent people who hunger and thirst for justice.

Update: Victoria Britton will be breaking her silence and speaking out for the first time on a God Discussion radio show on Friday eveningk February 15, which is the eve of the sixth anniversary of Kyler death.

Our announcement is here. God Discussion's announcement Blind Justice? The Brennan Estate v. Church of Scientology (Friday, February 15) provides detailed information on how to listen in and participate in the chat room during the show. 

Kyle at the Church of St. Michael in Bamberg:

Interior of the Church of St. Michael:

Kyle's drawing of St. Michael:

Related reading:

The death of 20-year-old Kyle Brennan as an Enemy of the Church of Scientology

Dr. Stephen McNamara on Scientologists’ interference with Kyle Brennan’s treatment

Kyle Brennan – Anybody’s Child

Kyle Brennan - Anybody's Child

We are re-posting here a beautiful post by former Scientologist Denise Brennan called "Kyle Brennan - Anybody's Child which has been posted on the major Scientology-critical forums. (Why We Protest - WWP, Reaching For The Tipping Point, Divided By Zero, Ex-Scientologist Message Board - ESMB), and Operation Clambake - OCMB)

Denise accurately describes Kyle as "a lovely, innocent and kindly boy, a gentle nerd who would not hurt a fly." She also points out that Scientology does a great deal of damage to non-Scientologists like Kyle and the recent young victims of its drug rehabilitation front group Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma where four young people have died in the last nine months.

She also points out that there is much we do not know and appeals to anyone and particularly former Scientologists to share any information about the case, the Scientologists involved, and Scientology policies and procedures that could help in getting justice for Kyle. 

She outlines many ways the general public can help and concludes -

As a beautiful Anon said in a protest video in 2008: ”It is time for the Church of Scientology to get out of Love’s way”.

Read the whole thing. 
_______________________________________________________________________________

Most people who read this are already going to know something about Kyle Brennan and his horrible death some five years ago at scientology’s “mecca” in Clearwater, Florida.

Kyle, a lovely, innocent and kindly boy, a gentle nerd who would not hurt a fly, died from a gunshot wound to the head on February 16, 2007.

The circumstances surrounding Kyle’s death are highly suspicious.

Kyle Brennan died at least in part due to the beliefs of scientology and scientologists as his medically prescribed medication was hidden from him with demands that he instead do highly dangerous and unscientific scientology “therapy” such as that done in its front group “Narconon”. 

Scientologists are hardly the only ones in danger of being victims of such quackery. The last year has brought the world tragic news of multiple deaths of innocent people who are not even scientologists who were subjected to highly dangerous practices such as those the scientologists were trying to push onto Kyle as delivered in their front group “Narconon”. 

And worse yet, Kyle’s tragic death shows us that the deadly reach of such practices by organized scientology goes even to our children who 1) are not scientologists AND 2) are not even involved with their front groups.

As what happened with Kyle has shown, all someone has to be is in contact with scientologists that believe in and push such practices to lose their very lives. Thus, Kyle Brennan is indeed “anybody’s child”. 

For five years now organized scientology has done everything it can to ensure that the entire truth surrounding Kyle’s untimely death has been suppressed through use of the police, through use of the courts and otherwise.
They have ensured that they have to date thwarted every attempt by his grieving mother Victoria Britton to find out what happened to her son that she loved so dearly.

Let us end this now!

Before I suggest what we can do about this, I would like to announce a new a blog prepared by a lovely person, Justin Ross. The site is called: “Justice for Kyle Brennan”. 

A link to it is here: http://justiceforkylebrennan.blogspot.com/

This is the most comprehensive site on the subject of what happened to Kyle Brennan, what led up to it and what has happened with respect to it in the past five+ years.

As of this writing, August 29, 2012, you can see two entries on the blog by Justin. The most current entry logged tonight is an amazing read, a write-up really helping to educate anyone to understand what happened.

The other write-up from a few days ago gives some information about a hearing on the matter in Florida on September 14, 2012.

Very important is the sidebar of links found on this blog. In the event some people do not read the main posting on this blog, I wanted to quote the sidebar that gives these important links:

Documents in the case of Kyle Brennan vs the Church of Scientology have been collected at a Scribd collection of Scientology lawsuits: http://www.scribd.com/collections/34...s-Kyle-Brennan

Among the most important documents is the Chronology of Victoria Britton, which she compiled from her notes as events unfolded – which can be found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/80488261/K...er-to-Attorney

Detective Bohling's investigative report (found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/80509671/K...em-Record-2008 ) is the basis of the Scientology defense and raises important questions of the adequacy of his detective work. In his deposition (which can be found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/81877055/K...pt-08-Jun-2010 ) he admits among other things that he falsified information about Kyle's diagnosis.

The depositions of the Scientology defendants Tom Brennan (found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/81877055/K...pt-08-Jun-2010 ) and Denise Miscavige Gentile (found at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/80499046/K...pt-02-Aug-2010 ) contain conflicting alibis and many contradictions in testimony.

Seasoned Flag Organization staff member Lance Marcor has laid out in detail how Scientology ideological demands affected the handling and death of Kyle Brennan as an Enemy of Scientology in the Second Declaration of Lance Marcor. ( found at:http://www.scribd.com/doc/80501927/Kyle-Brennan-Scientology-Case-Second-Declaration-of-Lance-Marcor-27-Sep-2010 )

The history of litigation is complex. Jonny Jacobsen at Infinite Complacency provides an excellent summary. (found at: http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot....to-appeal.html )

If our police, courts and other government officials will not stand up to scientology on this matter and if scientologists who know the truth refuse to tell it, then let it be us that take a stand and make a difference despite them.

Kyle’s mother Victoria Britten has more than once told me that this is about her beautiful boy and not her. It is about a boy who lost his life, who was innocent and who lost everything that a future he deserved to live would have given him. 

And while I weep with her at her almost unbearable loss, to me it is ALSO about a mother fighting for five years to find out what happened to her child. There is NO closure to be had when scientology and scientologists concerned have done everything in their power to hide the truth from Victoria in the name of their barbaric version of “the greatest good”.

And, without the full truth known Kyle will have died in vain and there will be more of our children similarly lost.

Victoria wants to tell every mother in America and elsewhere what happened here. 

If our governments will not stand up to them than let it be us mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and all others of good heart take to a stand.

Victoria knows more than anyone on earth about the hearings on this matter over the past five years. Did you know that no media have had Victoria on to tell us what she knows and the results of her exhaustive studies into court filings, police reports, depositions and the like? 

But how can those of us who want to help Victoria help her to do this? And what else might we of little financial or time resources do to make a difference? 

I can think of a few things offhand and write them here to perhaps help get the ball rolling.

No one is my or anyone else’s personal army but I ask that all concerned look at the examples below and see if you can find it in your heart to help in one or more ways or perhaps in some other way that I have not listed. 

(1) One very simply thing is to just familiarize yourself with as much as you can on the attached blog or that information contained in links found on that blog. Be better educated about it and then perhaps talk with friends and family about this. If we do nothing else, at least let us let someone else know about this so that their child is not the next to fall prey to scientology’s dangerous practices and greed. Send anyone interested to know more to that blog for information. Once again the link is: http://justiceforkylebrennan.blogspot.com

(2) Keep this alive. Post about Kyle in forums and blogs when you can. Post in comment sections in relevant articles, press, blogs or anywhere else giving links to this blog or any parts that interest you the most.

(3) See this link on the blog giving the time, place and date of the brief oral arguments happening on Sept 14, 2012 in Florida. If you can make it to show your support please do so. Let press or others you know who might be interested know about this as they may wish to attend. Link = http://justiceforkylebrennan.blogspot.com/2012/08/kyle-brennan-vs-scientology-oral.html

(4) Kyle’s mother Victoria is going to need financial help in order to continue fighting for the truth. There are many legal expenses (even things like costs of transcripts, flights, hotel, meals). And no matter what happens with legal, the fight to get to the truth will go on. We need, for example, to set up Victoria with proper hardware and software in order to be recorded for radio or TV, to do scans, to make copies and to do anything else needed to fight the good fight. In times past there were not public enough requests for help financially as almost none was given. 

Well there are two ways to send her money if you are able and willing to do so, no matter how small:

(a) If you are comfortable with PayPal, her email is : Vbreton2062@aol.com

(b) If you would prefer to send a check, cash or money order, her snail mail address is:

Victoria Britton
c/o Friends of Kyle Brennan
3144 Ridgefield Rd
Charlottesville, VA 22911-7205

(5) This is a special appeal to all public and staff as well as former public and staff who were there in 2007 and who know any details of what happened to Kyle and/or the cover-up of same to please speak out and tell what happened. This includes EX ethics officers at Flag, tech staff at Flag, OSA even up to Mike Rinder who may have been over OSA at the time. For the sake of those this could happen to in the future, for Kyle, for the peace of mind of a grieving mother, for the sake of justice or just for honor’s sake tell what happened. Victoria’s email is above. You can email her directly if you don’t want to go public. But for God’s sake, please tell the truth.

It should not matter if you are a corporate scientologist who would like to right a wrong, an Indee, an Ex or anyone else. On this matter all of us should be joined at the heart and not have any other agenda but that of truth and justice here.

(6) If you have any contacts with internet media, radio, TV, press, you name it, tell them of this story. Give them a link to the blog and ask them to interview Victoria. With some quick financial help we could have Victoria ready for interviews in days. She has not been able to tell her story to date. Let’s change that. This is a link to some of her own research that might interest concerned media:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/80488261/K...er-to-Attorney

I am very sorry for the length of this post. Plus I do not wish to say that anyone must do any or all of the above. But if you want to help, the above are some simple ways to do so.

For Kyle, for a Mother’s love and for great justice!

As a beautiful Anon said in a protest video in 2008: ”It is time for the Church of Scientology to get out of Love’s way”.

Thank you for listening.

w/<3
Denise Brennan

Kyle Brennan: Names of judges on the Appeals Court panel announced

The Federal Appeals Court in Jacksonville, Florida, has announced the names of the three judges deciding the appeal in the wrongful-death suit of 20-year-old Kyle Brennan, who died under highly suspicious circumstances on the night of Friday, February 16, 2007. They are judges Frank M. Hull of Atlanta, Stanley Marcus of Miami, and Emmett Cox of Mobile. Biographical information is found below.

Judge Frank Hull is a woman, despite her first name. She and Judge Stanley Marcus were appointed by President Clinton, and Judge Emmett Cox by President Reagan. Judges Frank and Marcus were on the Appeals Court panel that struck down the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Judge Hull joined Chief Judge Joel Dubina in writing the opinion and Judge Marcus wrote a dissent.

It would be a travesty of justice for the judges not to grant the appeal. On the basis on the defective police work of Detective Stephen Bohling alone Judge Merryday never should have ordered the Scientology defendants’ motion for summary judgment early last December.

Bohling falsified Kyle’s diagnosis from his psychiatrist Dr. Stephen McNamara, whom he had diagnosed as only mildly depressed.  In his lie-filled investigative report Bohling wrote falsely, “The Doctor confirmed that Kyle Brennan had been exhibiting early signs of Schizophrenia in include paranoia and delusions and that he did prescribe Lexipro [sic] to Brennan.” In his deposition McNamara says that he never talked to anyone in Clearwater.

Oral arguments in the case will be heard in Federal Appeals Court in Jacksonville, Florida, on the morning of Friday, September 14. For further details see our post Kyle Brennan vs the Church of Scientology: Oral arguments in Jacksonville, September 14.

Here is further background information on the judges:

Emmett Ripley Cox:

Born 1935, nominated by President Reagan in 1981 as judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Acquired senior status in 2000. Spent entire pre-judicial career as a private practice attorney. Wikpedia bio.  Judgepedia bio

Frank M. Hull:

Despite her first name, Judge Hull is a woman. Born 1948 in Augusta, GA, appointed by President Clinton in 1994 as judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. President Clinton nominated her to the US Court of Appeals for the 11^th Circuit in 1997. Judgepedia bio. Before her judicial career she was in private practice in Atlanta, 1974-1984.

Judge Hull and Judge Stanley Marcus were members of the three-judge 11^th Circuit appeals panel that questioned the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The other member was Chief Judge Joel Dubina, appointed by President George H. W. Bush.

In their opinion on the 2-1 decision, Hull and Dubina rejected the individual mandate of the legislation allowing that the rest of the law could remain in effect.  Judge Stanley Marcus disagreed in a dissent. Talking Points Memo has a good article on political background and judicial philosophy of the judges.

Stanley Marcus:

Born 1946 in NY. Joined the 11^th Circuit US Appeals Court in 1997 after being nominated by President Clinton. Previously served as judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida after being nominated by President Reagan in 1985.

Marcus served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Department of Justice's U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York from 1975 to 1978 before serving as the Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force for the U.S. Department of Justice based in Detroit, Michigan from 1978 to 1979. Marcus was the Chief of the Strike Force from 1980 to 1982 before being nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 1982 to 1985. Judegepedia bio.

As noted above Marcus dissented from the opinion of Judge Hull and Chief Judge Dubina in striking down the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act.