Florida Bar case denied pseudonym request from autistic former judicial candidate

The Florida Bar faced a lawsuit from an autistic individual who previously ran for a judgeship in the Ninth Judicial Circuit, seeking to challenge the Bar’s handling of his disability-accommodation request. The plaintiff, identified in filings as Doe but confirmed to be Stephen Brown, asked the court to allow him to proceed under a pseudonym to protect his medical privacy and personal safety. Magistrate Judge Robert Norway denied the request, stating that the plaintiff’s privacy interests do not outweigh the longstanding presumption of openness in civil litigation.

The judge highlighted that the case does not involve information that would place the plaintiff at risk, and that the public should be able to associate the suit with the candidate’s electoral history. The ruling referenced prior decisions upholding openness in attorney-disciplinary matters and rejected the argument that a prior social-media disclosure waived privacy rights. The plaintiff’s extensive complaint, spanning 268 pages, continues under his real name.