Wikipedia:Arbitration/Index/Cases/2008

This is an archive of the results of all cases completed by the Arbitration Committee in 2008. There were a total of 39 cases closed in 2008, two of which were dismissed without action.


 * More recently-closed cases on top

=2008= 39 cases, 2 dismissed without action.

December

 * Three cases
 * Eastern European disputes (formerly named Piotrus 2), Decided 23 December 2008 (AN notice).
 * Parties:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
 * Due to the unique number of remedies in this case, please see the main case page for a list of all of them.
 * Cold fusion, Decided 15 December 2008 (AN notice).
 * Parties:,, ,
 * Pcarbonn topic banned from cold fusion and related pages.
 * Kuban kazak, Decided 5 December 2008 (AN notice).
 * Parties: ,
 * Kuban kazak banned from editing Wikipedia-en for one year.

November

 * No cases were completed.

October

 * Three cases
 * SlimVirgin-Lar, Decided 30 October 2008 (AN notice).
 * Parties: *,, ,
 * The Committee reminds the users who brought the matter into the public arena rather than to a suitable dispute resolution process—in particular, SlimVirgin—that dispute resolution procedures rather than public invective remain the preferred course for addressing matters of user conduct. The Committee reminds all operators of the CheckUser tool that it is imperative that they make every effort to abide strictly by the Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy at all times.


 * Abtract-Collectonian, Decided 29 October 2008 (AN notice).
 * Parties: *,, , , ,
 * shall not interact with, or comment in any way (directly or indirectly) about, Collectonian, on any page in Wikipedia; harass or wikistalk Collectonian such as by editing pages that Collectonian has recently edited; or make uncivil comments about or personal attacks upon any user. Collectonian is urged to continue to avoid any unnecessary interaction with Abtract.


 * Sarah Palin protection wheel war, Decided 20 October 2008 (AN notice).
 * Parties: ; ; ;.
 * Remedies: Jossi admonished; MZMcBride admonished; community urged to continue to strive for the improvement of the BLP policy, esp. on top of existing progress at WT:BLP; all parties to case instructed to review principles and findings of this case and strive to adjust future behaviour accordingly.

September

 * Two cases
 * C68-FM-SV (informally, the "omnibus" case) Decided 24 September 2008 - AN notice.
 * Parties:, , , ,
 * FeloniousMonk is desysopped, and can have powers restored either by Committee decision or RfA. All parties admonished and instructed to improve their editing habits, including a specific list of six items passed by the Committee (click to read). All directly- or indirectly-involved users are asked to read the case and ensure they comply with the behavioural guidelines set out by the Committee.
 * Alastair Haines Decided 11 September 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, and
 * Parties placed on editing restrictions, 1RR and disruption parole for one year. Alastair Haines further placed on civility parole for one year.

August

 * One case
 * Geogre-William M. Connolley Decided 22 August 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , ,
 * Both William M. Connolley & Geogre are indefinitely prohibited from taking any administrative action with respect to Giano II, or edit wars in which Giano II is an involved party.

July

 * Two cases
 * Yorkshirian Decided 14 July 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , , , , , ,
 * Yorkshirian is banned from Wikipedia for a period of one year.


 * Giovanni33 Decided 6 July 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties: ,
 * Giovanni33 banned by the Committee for one year, running concurrently with an existing community ban.

June

 * Two cases
 * Homeopathy Decided 30 June 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , , ,
 * Editors involved in editing articles related to homeopathy who despite being warned, repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Wikipedia, any expected standards of behavior, or any normal editorial process may be placed under discretionary sanctions. is banned for one year.


 * Footnoted quotes Decided 16 June 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, ,
 * Biography of living persons articles are placed under special enforcement. is placed on a civility editing restriction for one year.

May

 * Three cases
 * CAMERA lobbying Decided 28 May 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , , , , , , , , , ,
 * Sanctions previously imposed are confirmed. An amnesty is extended towards any editors who may have been involved in this external group and who have not been sanctioned for their participation in it. This is coupled with an expectation that these editors will not participate in similar efforts in the future. Members of the community who may have information regarding similar efforts by external groups to unduly influence our content are urged to forward that information to the Committee for review. is admonished to maintain an appropriate level of professionalism at all times, and to avoid misrepresenting Wikipedia policy to other editors.


 * Tango Decided 16 May 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, ,
 * Tango's administrative privileges revoked, and may apply to have them reinstated at any time by RFA or by appeal to the Committee.
 * Administrative tools may not be used to further the administrator's own position in a dispute.


 * Prem Rawat Decided 12 May 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
 * Prem Rawat and related articles, including their talk pages, are subject to article probation.

April

 * Five cases


 * Strider12 Decided 21 April 2008
 * Parties: ,
 * Strider12 is banned from Wikipedia for a period of one year. Should Strider12 resume editing Wikipedia, she shall be assigned a volunteer mentor, who will be asked to assist her in understanding and following policy and community practice to a sufficient level that continued sanctions will not be necessary.
 * Betacommand 2 Decided 13 April 2008
 * Parties:, , , , , , , , , , ,
 * Betacommand is thanked for his contributions to the project but is instructed to remain civil and avoid personal attacks, to operate his bots only in accordance with bot policy and BAG approvals, and to refrain from untoward conduct. Betacommand is urged to be more responsive to good-faith questions from users whose images he tags. Editors are reminded that review of image contributions is necessary and that they should avoid personal attacks on the users who conduct such review. The community is urged to reexamine certain policies and procedures regarding image review, tagging, and deletion, as well as to consider updating the procedures of the Bot Approvals Group. If disruptions relating to this matter continue, a request may be made that the Arbitration Committee reopen the case.
 * International Churches of Christ Decided 12 April 2008
 * Parties: ,
 * TransylvanianKarl is urged to refrain from editing International Churches of Christ and any related pages until he has fully familiarized himself with the English Wikipedia core policies. TransylvanianKarl is also urged to raise issues and suggestions on the talkpage before making potentially controversial edits to articles, including deletion of cited material and citations.
 * September 11 conspiracy theories Decided 8 April 2008.
 * Parties: Various; see full list
 * Remedies: Discretionary sanctions may now be enacted.
 * Highways 2 Decided 6 April 2008
 * Parties:, , , , , , ,
 * No formal enforcement measures are being proposed at this time, in light of the hope that editors will act of their own volition and take with them a more in-depth understanding of the issues, principles, and the disputes themselves, for future benefit and to avoid the need for more formal responses.

March

 * Five cases, one of which was dismissed without action


 * Franco-Mongol alliance Decided 14 March 2008
 * Parties:, , , ,
 * PHG is prohibited from editing articles relating to medieval or ancient history for a period of one year. He is permitted to make suggestions on talk pages, provided that he interacts with other editors in a civil fashion.


 * Mantanmoreland Decided 13 March 2008
 * Parties:, , , ,
 * Mantanmoreland has a topic ban and must not use alternative accounts or web proxies, and the articles are under probation.


 * Ehud Lesar Decided 12 March 2008
 * Parties:, ,
 * Ehud Lesar's indef block is reversed as insufficient evidence that he was as sockpuppet of AdilBaguirov was found. The sock accusations are found to have been made in good faith.


 * Episodes and characters 2 Decided March 10, 2008
 * Parties: 14 total (complete list)
 * is prohibited for six months from making any edit to an article or project page related to a television episode or character that substantially amounts to a merge, redirect, deletion, or request for any of the preceding, to be interpreted broadly. He is free to contribute on the talk pages or to comment on any AfD, RfD, DRV, or similar discussion initiated by another editor, as appropriate. The parties are instructed to cease engaging in editorial conflict and to work collaboratively to develop a generally accepted and applicable approach to the articles in question.


 * New World Translation Dismissed 1 March 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties: ,
 * Dismissed as no evidence has been presented although the case has been open for one week.

February

 * Three cases (plus one privately heard case now posted)


 * JoshuaZ (heard privately by AC) Decided February 5, 2008
 * Parties:, ,
 * In response to a finding by the Arbitration Committee that he engaged in abusive use of multiple user accounts, JoshuaZ voluntarily resigned his administrator tools on February 5, 2008. Per the usual practice that occurs when administrator's voluntarily give up their tools when faced with potential sanctions by the Arbitration Committee, JoshuaZ cannot have the tools returned by simply asking for them back. Additionally, JoshuaZ must contact the Arbitration Committee for permission to have a RFA.


 * Waterboarding Decided February 15, 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties: over 20 (complete list)
 * The Waterboarding article, and closely related pages, are placed on an article probation (full remedy); editors working on the Waterboarding area may be subject to a general restiction (detailed here).


 * Matthew Hoffman Decided February 13, 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , , , , , , ,
 * The block log is to be annotated to show that this Committee has found the blocks of MatthewHoffman to be unjustified and Vanished user is provisionally desysopped for six months.
 * Administrative tools may not be used to further the administrator's own position in a content dispute.
 * By motion in December 2008, the findings and remedies contained in this case's final decision were withdrawn insofar as they reflect adversely on the editor identified as "Vanished user". The Committee noted that after receiving feedback about the use of his administrator tools, the editor identified as "Vanished user" voluntarily agreed to give up his tools and to consult with the Arbitration Committee should he wish to become an administrator in the future.
 * The December 2008 motion was supplemented by a statement in June 2009 making an apology and identifying several irregularities.


 * IRC Decided February 9, 2008 - AN notice
 * Parties:, , , , , , , , , , , ,
 * Giano II is placed on a civility parole for one year; all parties are cautioned to pursue disputes in a civil manner and to cause minimal disruption; editors are asked to avoid edit warring and use civil discussion even when editing non-mainspace pages whose significance and status are in dispute; the Committee gives notice that policy and procedure changes will be addressed separately.

January

 * Nine cases, one of which was dismissed
 * Bluemarine Decided January 31, 2008
 * Parties:, , , , ,
 * The indefinite community ban of remains in effect, with an Arbitration Committee ban now running concurrently for one year.  As a result of BLP violations, the article Matt Sanchez has been placed on article probation.


 * Kingofmann Dismissed January 21, 2008
 * Parties:, , , , ,
 * Dismissed as the article was deleted and User:Kingofmann departed Wikipedia.


 * Palestine-Israel articles Decided January 19, 2008
 * Parties:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
 * The area of conflict in this case shall be considered to be the entire set of Arab-Israeli conflict-related articles, broadly interpreted. An uninvolved administrator, after issuing a warning, may impose sanctions including blocks of up to one year in length; bans from editing any page or set of pages within the area of conflict; bans on any editing related to the topic or its closely related topics; restrictions on reverts or other specified behaviors; or any other measures which the imposing administrator believes are reasonably necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of the project. The Committee shall convene a working group, composed of experienced Wikipedians in good standing, and task it with developing a comprehensive set of recommendations for resolving the pervasive problem of intractable disputes centered around national, ethnic, and cultural areas of conflict. The group shall be appointed within two weeks from the closure of this case, and shall present its recommendations to the Committee no later than six months from the date of its inception.


 * R. fiend Decided January 14, 2008
 * Parties:, ,
 * R. fiend, who was voluntarily desysopped while the request for arbitration was pending, must use a new requests for adminship discussion if he seeks administrator status again in the future. An arbitrator will make an appropriate notation in Ed Poor's block log reflecting that the Committee finds R. fiend's block of Ed Poor unjustified.


 * Dbachmann Decided January 14, 2008
 * Parties:, , , , }},
 * Dbachmann is reminded to avoid using his administrative tools in editorial disputes in which he is personally involved, and to avoid misusing the administrative rollback tool for content reversions. Afrocentrism and Race of ancient Egyptians are placed on article probation.


 * Zeraeph Decided January 14, 2008
 * Parties:, , , , , ,
 * Zeraeph is banned from Wikipedia for a period of one year.


 * John Gohde 2 Decided January 12, 2008
 * Parties:, ,
 * John Gohde is banned from Wikipedia for a period of one year.


 * Jim62sch Decided January 9, 2008
 * Parties:, ,
 * Jim62sch is instructed to refrain from making any comments to another user that could reasonably be construed as harassing, threatening, or bullying. Any further harassment, threats, or bullying will result in a block or ban per enforcement provisions of the case.


 * John Buscema Decided January 8, 2008
 * Parties: ,
 * Both parties are banned from editing the John Buscema article for a period of three months.