The U.S. Supreme Court has denied the application for a “Stay of Execution” (of civil contempt sentence) for jailed attorney Richard I. Fine who has never been charged with or convicted of a crime but has been held in solitary “coercive confinement” in L.A. County Central Men’s jail for over a year. Fine attempted to disqualify L.A. Superior Court Judge David Yaffe for having accepted illegal payments from L.A. County, a party to the case before him, and who ordered him held “indefinitely,” without bail, hearing date or release date.

In their conference hearing, on April 23, 2010, the Justices refused to dismiss Fine’s Writ of Certiorari (appeal) that was before the full panel. The response of Richard I. Fine came from jail telephone: “I cannot believe that they denied my application as it violates U.S. Supreme Court Precedent of the release of William T. Farr by Justice Douglas in the same situation in 1974. However I am encouraged that they did not dismiss my appeal, which indicates that I will win the appeal.”

“The reply response from L.A. County Sheriff Baca is due on May 17, 2010 unless he waives his right to respond. The Sheriff has never opposed my Writ of Habeas Corpus in this case.”

Citizens protests are expected to continue. Fred Sottile, a volunteer Co-Chair of the “Free Richard Fine Committee” (FRF) reacted to the news by saying: “We are going to continue protesting and the committee will continue to broadcast the truth in our world-wide search for patriots who will stand up for a Constitutional America.”