Standoff defendant challenges judge's oath of office #BundyTeaParty

By Rebecca Woolington | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on August 11, 2016 at 4:35 PM
updated August 11, 2016 at 5:35 PM

The Oregon standoff defendant who has been admonished in court for repeatedly challenging the validity of the oath of office taken by the federal judge presiding over his criminal case has now filed suit against her.

Since March, Kenneth Medenbach has raised questions during his pending criminal case about the oath taken by U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown. His lawsuit names Brown along with U.S. Attorney Billy Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Gabriel, Geoffrey Barrow and Ethan Knight as defendants.

Medenbach on Wednesday filed his complaint pro se, representing himself and 26 others involved in standoff-related cases. The suit demands that all plaintiffs in jail be released and that all pending criminal matters against standoff defendants be dismissed. Each plaintiff seeks no more than $100,000 in punitive damages for the time they've spent in custody and no more than $50,000 each for lost wages, Medenbach wrote in the complaint ...

Medenbach is defending himself against criminal charges of theft of government property and conspiracy to impede officers. He has argued that Brown's oath was invalid and that the charges against him should be dismissed as a result. The judge has denied his request ...

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/08/oregon_standoff_defendant_chal.html