Despite having no earthly hope of prevailing, Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers has appealed to a higher legal power in his lawsuit against God, which was dismissed because he has not served the defendant.

A Douglas County judge last month rejected Chambers' argument that service of the suit could be waived since God, as an omniscient being, would not need formal notice. But he argued the Almighty's omniscience again in a notice of appeal to the Nebraska Supreme Court filed Nov. 5.

"[T]he very act of filing this Notice of Appeal, ipso facto, gives ac[t]ual notice to the Defendant whose existence as an infinite being who takes notice of, and intervenes in human affairs is acknowledged by the Nebraska Supreme Court's invocation: 'God Save the United States,'" Chambers, who is an atheist, says.

"Being infinite," he continues, "the Defendant must, a priori, be omniscient; that is, knowing all that is knowable, which includes this appeal."

The suit sought a permanent injunction ordering God “to cease harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats” -- apparently Chambers' way of making a point about access to the court system after other legislators tried to limit “frivolous lawsuits.”

A Nebraska law allows service to be effected "by any manner reasonably calculated under the circumstances to provide the party with actual notice of the proceedings and an opportunity to be heard." Chambers hasn't come up with anything yet to suggest his method of serving God is "reasonably calculated."

 

By Matthew Heller
11/8/08