The Tennessee Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling to impose sanctions against Nashville attorney and perennial political candidate John Jay Hooker for filing numerous lawsuits regarding the same constitutional issues after being warned against it.

The case stemmed from a series of lawsuits Hooker filed against various state officials challenging the practice of serving meat and drink at political fund raisers, alleging the practice violated the Tennessee Constitution. Judge Thomas Brothers imposed a screening mechanism on June 27, 2003 in which a special master was to review any future complaint Hooker filed within two years of the date to ensure it was not legally frivolous or duplicative in violation of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure.

The opinion, written by Judge Holly Kirby, included the following statement:

“With deference to the nobility of Mr. Hooker’s cause, other litigants have causes that are noble and needs that are great and all are entitled to a full and fair and impartial hearing. This cannot be accomplished if any litigant, regardless of his cause, is permitted to glut the judicial system by filing essentially the same lawsuit over and over as long as there is breath in his body. Having received a full and fair hearing and an adverse decision, all, including Mr. Hooker, must stand down and accept the finality of the Court’s decision.”