Pendell filed and served right in the middle of a legislative session,” Shea’s defense brief said, arguing that the resulting burden threatens the entire legislative process.

“Instead of respecting the legislature and our Constitution, Mr. Pendell chose to violate the Constitution and tried to interfere with the Legislature.” Because the suit was filed during the session, Shea argues in court documents filed by his attorney, Marshall Casey, it was in “direct violation of our Constitution.” When Deputy Travis Pendell’s lawsuit was served on Shea, it “continued his constitutional violations.” Pendell could have filed the suit before or after the Legislature convened, Shea argued, “but instead Mr. Washington’s constitution prohibits subjecting lawmakers to “any civil process” while the Legislature is in session. It’s a separation of powers thing, he argued. Rather than defend himself on the merits, Shea argued that the case should be dismissed because it was filed during the legislative session, and as a member of the House of Representatives, he is immune to such interference from the judicial branch during the session. Shea wraps himself crudely and simplistically in the Constitution at all times, but there is something extraordinary in the degree to which he attempts to co-opt “constitutionality” as his defense for claiming a sheriff’s deputy was linked to a triple murder. Maybe so, if we are to judge by the manner in which Matt Shea – point guard for Team Bundy and proponent of the silly, hypothetical state of Liberty – is defending himself in a defamation lawsuit. Will that just be considered “constitutional?” Will lawmakers be allowed to casually slime people by baselessly claiming that murder weapons “trace back” to them? Will they be able to escape consequences for peddling sloppy lies, so long as they can claim they are busy making laws? Just curious: What kinds of defamation and libel laws will we have here once we’ve created the new God-honoring, gun-loving, Eastern Washington state of Liberty?

Mattshea defend your castle series