Dershowitz Changes Stance On Court Case

In the aftermath of a shooting spree by a World Church of the Creator member, Frankfurter Professor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz said last week he is no longer willing to represent the organization's leader, Matthew F. Hale, in his quest for bar membership.

Earlier this year, Hale asked Dershowitz to represent him in appealing his rejection by the Illinois Bar Associate, according the Dershowitz.

But while Dershowitz said he had expressed willingness to take Hale as a client when the case centered around free speech alone, he said the racially motivated killings committed by Hale's disciple Benjamin N. Smith this month have made him unwilling to represent Hale in the matter of his law license.

"I don't think this case is any longer a pure first amendment case," Dershowitz said. "I think he has condoned violence...We know he spoke to this man Smith hours before this rampage."

Dershowitz, who called Hale's organization "a church of psychopaths," said Hale had to be aware that his message could provoke violence. "When Hale says he has no sympathy for the victims but only for Smith, that sends out a message of violence," Dershowitz said.

Still, he said, he might file a brief in the case, arguing that Hale's racism in and of itself should not be considered grounds for denying him the right to practice law.

"I might still consider filing an amicus brief in the case, but the amicus brief would simply set out a principle," he said.

Dershowitz said it was unlikely that he would have represented Hale in any event. He had originally agreed to represent him on the condition that all fees from the case go to anti-hate groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. And he had said he would drop out of the case if Hale and his organization did not commit themselves fully to non-violence.