If you consider yourself any real kind of basketball fan, the name John Stockton should be familiar. But now that his time in the paint has passed, he’s making a name for himself in another kind of court.
This time, former Utah Jazz point guard and NBA Hall of Famer is taking a stand in federal court on behalf of medical doctors who may have lost their ability to practice medicine due to what he calls a direct violation of the 1st Amendment.
If you weren’t aware, Stockton’s home state of Washington was one of several that imposed some rather strict COVID-19 regulations. One of those regulations basically allowed the state to threaten and silence any medical professional who dared to challenge the narrative of mainstream media on COVID-19 at the time.
In July 2021, the Federation of State Medical Boards adopted a statement saying that any “Physicians who generate and spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation are risking disciplinary action by state medical boards, including the suspension or revocation of their medical license.”
The Washington State Medical Commission formally adopted this in September 2021.
The problem, of course, is that misinformation or disinformation about COVID-19 has pretty much always been opinion-based. And it has changed numerous times along the way.
Remember when the “lab leak” theory was just that, and when anyone spreading it was said to be wrong? Now, that’s a common fact. So, too, is the fact that standing six feet apart did nothing. Hell, even masking has been reclassified as not effective, as has the idea that the vaccines did any good, according to numerous studies.
But none of that changes the fact that doctors in Washington had their First Amendment freedoms violated just because they weren’t willing to follow shoddy science.
So, Stockton is making sure justice is served with a federal lawsuit. To be sure, this is likely the most important court battle he’s ever waged.
