User:Shagnastylyons

Kirk David Lyons (born at McClellan Air Force Base, near Sacramento, California, June 17, 1956) is a North Carolina based civil rights/constitutional attorney and advocate for Confederate Southern Americans through peaceful, non-violent social and legal change. Lyons advocates primarily through his position as Chief trial counsel for the Southern Legal resource Center, Inc., a non profit South Carolina legal resources charity founded by him and others in 1995 with offices in Black Mountain, North Carolina'''. Lyons received a BA in Social & Behavioral Sciences (with honors) from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Bates College of Law in 1983. Lyons was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 1984. Lyons is an avid historian and former Museum Director who has made "living history" presentations to thousands of students and the general public.

Lyons attended college on United Daughter of the Confederacy Scholarships and by working half-time at the Texas State Library from 1974-1978. Lyons joined the Children of the Confederacy in 1972, holding Division and General offices before aging out in 1977. On his 21st birthday in 1977, Lyons, sponsored by Texas Division Cdr Ralph Green, joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). Lyons has founded two Camps, served as Chief of Staff and Judge Advocate of the Dept of the Army of Northern Virginia, and served on the SCV’s General Executive Council from 2000-2002. Lyons unsuccessful bid to become ANV army Commander in 2003 attracted national publicity, including a hatchet job from Dan Rather. Lyons has been an active voice for reform of the 113 year old organization since 1992. Political infighting and controversy within the organization (2002 – 2006) have led to fantastical claims of his influence within the SCV. Lyons work for the last 14 years has centered almost exclusively on Confederate heritage cases involving usually student free speech, free expression in the workplace and federal civil right protection for Confederate Southern Americans under the national origin provisions of the Civilrights Act of 1964. Early in his legal career, Lyons represented controversial, high profile extremists in highly publicized criminal conspiracy prosecutions. For this work and his marriage at the Aryan Nations Church, several non- Christian, agenda driven, left of center groups continue to disparage and vilify Lyons as a "racist" or "white supremacist" based on these past "associations,”  even though the last of these cases ended 15 years ago.  Lyons vehemently rejects these labels, calling himself a Christian unreconstructed Southerner and since 2001 simply a Christian Confederate Southern American.

The Southern Poverty Law Center of Montgomery ,Alabama (and a Black Mountain gadfly Monroe Gilmour) has made a cottage industry of castigating Lyons in the press, citing his past high profile advocacy of right wing figures and his 1988 marriage at Aryan Nations to the youngest sister of convicted Order member David Tate. When given the opportunity to respond to these charges, Lyons notes that his most controversial clients were innocent of the charges against them and their cases are ancient history.

When a journalist accuses Lyons of being David Tate’s brother in law Lyons usually responds as follows: “ Yes, I am guilty of the crime of falling in love with the beautiful, innocent and completely blameless sister of a controversial figure, but we have been happily married for 19 years and have 7 children – how does your marriage stack up to that?”

Lyons is the “Confederate mentor” and close friend of Black Confederate activist H.K. Edgerton, an association that somewhat neuters the SPLC’s charges of that Lyons is a “white supremacist”. Current cases Three Burleson High School (Burleson, Texas) students denied the right to display their Confederate Flag purses. The case’s dismissal was upheld by the 5th Circuit and an appeal to the US Supreme Court is being considered. Latta High School (South Carolina) student denied the right to inoffensively display Confederate symbols, now on appeal to the 4th Circuit. Co-counsel in a Confederate heritage student free speech case in Blount Co andAnderson Co Tennessee. Notable SLRC Cases and clients Jacqueline Duty, Russell High School (Kentucky) Senior denied entrance to her Senior Prom because of her Confederate flag themed prom dress Timothy Castorina, Madison High School (Kentucky) student disciplined for wearing Hank Williams, Jr concert shirt bearing a Confederate flag. This case is the law of the 6th Circuit.

Mrs. Alberta Martin – last Confederate Widow NOTABLE PAST CASES & CLIENTS In his high profile criminal defense work, Lyons has always maintained as a cardinal principal that he would not take to trial a defendant he did not believe was completely innocent.

USA v Louis R. Beam 1987-88 Beam - indicted for Seditious Conspiracy and placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted list - after a 2 1/2 month trial in Fort Smith, Arkansas along with 14 other men – all acquitted USA v James Wickstrom 1988-90 Wickstrom, founder of Posse Commitatus was indicted on conspiracy and counterfeiting charges. In the trial a mistrial was declared. Wickstrom was convicted in the retrial.

NC v Douglas R. Sheets 1989 Sheets was accused of premeditated murder in the Shelby (NC) bookstore murders of 1988 - acquitted.

USA v. Stephen A. Nelson 1990 Nelson was charged with conspiracy to bomb homosexual bars- Convicted

Fred A. Leuchter - execution engineer and subject of Errol Morris Film documentary: Mr. Death, the Life and times of Fred A. Leuchter 1990 - 1992

Pulaski v. Thomas A. Robb  Robb, a national KKK leader was charged with holding a Press conference without a permit. Convicted – overturned on appeal. 1991

Tom Metzger, founder of White Aryan Resistance- Lyons filed a writ of certiorari to the US Supreme Court on behalf of Metzger only after the SPLC made it impossible for Metzger pay his own (Jewish) attorney. Also acted as a court-certified expert witness on the Klan in Metzger’s Los Angeles Cross burning prosecution.

Court certified Expert Witness on Right Wing groups for the defense in the federal prosecution of Jonathan Brown, Nashville TN 1992. Civil Attorney for Randy Weaver and family (very briefly) 1992 Attorney for 26 Burn survivors and families (mostly Black & Jamaican) from the Branch Davidian Standoff in 1993 up to the 2000 civil trial in Waco, Texas. 1st Attorney to arrive in Waco to advocate on behalf of fair treatment of the Branch Davidians. Responsible for securing Dick DeGuerin, Jack Zimmerman and other Texas Attorneys for the Branch Davidian legal team. Filed first Civil action against Janet Reno in the aftermath of the fire. 1993-2000. Represented a member of the press, Louis R. Beam, after Beam was ejected from the Govt press conferences at Waco for asking a "bad question" 1993 Attorney for Andreas K. Strassmeir aka "Andy the German" - whom conspiracy kooks claim is involved (with Lyons as his "handler") as a CIA/Mossad plant in the Oklahoma City Bombing case. 1995- 2000

Leader of 3rd Part intermediary team in successfully ending the Montana Freeman standoff – the longest federal law enforcement siege in US History in June 1996. Represented Anthony Strickland, the “Rodney King” of Western North Carolina.