Meet Jeremy Morris, AKA the "Christmas Lawyer" who, after staging extravagant holiday displays in defiance of his homeowners' association, found himself in a legal whirlwind involving a jury verdict, a judge's reversal, and potential disciplinary action from the Idaho State Bar in the USA.
The jolly lawyer, who’s self-identified as an avid Christmas celebrant, started hosting massive displays for the holidays in 2015, after buying his “dream house” for his family, just outside the city of Hayden in Kootenai County, Idaho.
Upon creating a Facebook group and successfully organizing outdoor gatherings in the past, where people would sip hot chocolate, eat cotton candy from his restored vintage machine, and enjoy the festivities, Jeremy reportedly called the president of the neighborhood homeowners' association to give them a heads-up about his planned display in at his new home.
Lawyer Jeremy Morris may be disbarred after accusing a federal judge of corruption, amidst a legal battle with his neighbors
Image credits: Jeremy Morris
However, the call reportedly sparked a legal battle still being waged nearly a decade later, as one West Hayden Estates homeowners' association (HOA) board member drafted a letter that pondered whether neighborhood "atheists" might be offended by the display and worried about "riff-raff", Fox News reported.
The official version of the letter, which was subsequently approved by the HOA president and sent to Jeremy changed "atheists" to "non-Christians" and "riff-raff" to "possible undesirables."
Moreover, the homeowners' association reportedly said the scope of the event was "well beyond normal residential use," that noise that is offensive or interferes with the "quiet enjoyment" of any neighbor is prohibited, and that lighting should be "restrained in its design" and avoid "excessive brightness."
Image credits: Jeremy Morris
They closed by noting that they didn't "wish to become entwined in any expensive litigation to enforce long-standing rules."
Jeremy told the American conservative broadcaster: "I realized if I don't fight back, and I'm a lawyer, you know, who would? I was in this position to actually take a stand for Christmas. And that's why I became the lawyer who basically fought for and saved Christmas."
The festive lawyer reportedly went on to decorate his house with around 700,000 lights months before Christmas, prompting the HOA's lawyer to demand he remove them within 10 days, which Jeremy refused.
He said: "The next thing that happened is this became an international phenomenon.”
Jeremy started hosting massive displays for the holidays in 2015, after buying his “dream house” for his family
Image credits: Jeremy Morris
Jeremy pursued his yuletide joy, ignoring the impending lawsuit, offering thousands of visitors a chance to see a live nativity scene, carolers, and even a camel.
The lawyer reportedly hired shuttle buses to drop massive crowds of families coming from other states and even Canada.
The following year, Jeremy, along with several attendees, reportedly accused neighbors of harassing people near his house. Nevertheless, at least two neighbors denied the latter allegation in the 2021 Apple TV+ documentary "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas."
Accusing his neighbors of threats, Jeremy painted the HOA as a group of liberal atheists who were bigoted against Christians, Fox News reported.
In the Apple documentary, the HOA denied the claims. Moreover, the original HOA president was married to a pastor and reportedly resigned before the 2015 Christmas show, stating a nervous breakdown from Jeremy "harassing" her.
Jeremy was further portrayed by neighbors as a deranged bully who was hostile from the start.
Image credits: The Christmas Lawyer
In January 2017, two years after receiving the HOA’s initial letter, Jeremy reportedly sued, alleging religious discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
In the trial, the lawyer said: "It was 'Miracle on 34th Street’ in the modern era." The jury reportedly returned a unanimous decision in his favor and ordered the HOA to pay $75,000.
However, this wasn’t the happy ending Jeremy was expecting, as a separate federal judge reversed the jury's verdict and ordered him to pay the HOA's legal fees of $111,000.
Jeremy reportedly called the president of the neighborhood homeowners' association to give them a heads-up about his planned display
Image credits: Apple TV
The federal judge, Judge Winmill, concluded the case wasn't about religious discrimination, but rather the Morris family's violation of neighborhood rules. Jeremy reportedly failed to provide facts that were a "legally sufficient basis upon which a reasonable jury" could conclude the HOA violated the Fair Housing Act.
The judge even revealed that secret recordings Jeremy made of his neighbors often showed him acting "aggressively confrontational," in one case threatening to use the HOA code to go after his neighbor's dogs.
As a result, the Morris family was permanently banned from holding another Christmas program that violated the HOA rules, a decision Jeremy immediately appealed.
Image credits: Apple TV
In June 2020, their case went before the 9th Circuit, which is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. As of 2023, Jeremy hasn’t received a decision.
During his time waiting for the result of his appeal, Jeremy filed a judicial misconduct claim against Judge Winmill, alleging that she struck down testimony from the majority of Jeremy's witnesses.
Jeremy exclaimed: "This particular judge attempted to cancel Christmas. It's no different than what King Herod did 2,000 years ago when he tried to stop the very first Christmas."
The homeowners association said the scope of Jeremy's event was "well beyond normal residential use"
Image credits: Apple TV
In January 2023, a bar representative of the Idaho state wrote to Jeremy, asking about several statements he made about Judge Winmill on social media and in the Apple TV documentary — chiefly, calling her "corrupt" and a "hateful anti-Christian bigot" who attempted to "rig a jury."
Ultimately, in August, another Idaho State Bar representative wrote to Jeremy's attorney, stating that the bar found "probable cause to proceed with formal charges" under Idaho's professional conduct rule that prohibits a lawyer from making a statement that he knows to be false or "with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge."
The bar reportedly offered to dismiss the disciplinary case if Jeremy gave up his Idaho legal license. Moreover, the bar counsel noted that Jeremy moved out of state and the pending "disciplinary grievance" affected his ability to gain employment in his new home, Fox News reported.
Image credits: Apple TV
Jeremy went on to call the Idaho State’s offer a "shakedown" comparable to mob tactics and has maintained that his corruption accusation is true ever since.
He told the conservative broadcaster: "The Idaho State Bar has made it clear they're going to protect their friends, in this case, a federal judge. But the problem is, attorneys have the freedom of speech."
Jeremy further stated: "The law says that even as an attorney, I do not lose the freedom of speech in this country to speak about things, particularly about corruption.”
Jeremy hired shuttle buses to drop off massive crowds of families coming from other states and even Canada
Image credits: Apple TV
You can watch the trailer for the documentary below:
Despite not hosting a massive Christmas show this year, Jeremy hasn’t given up on his dreams and has purchased a large property where he is already planning an "even bigger, epic display" next year.
He reportedly said he had "zero" regrets about the way he treated his former neighbors. Jeremy admitted: "I'm so proud of the stand that I took and the opportunity that I've given to people who hate me, who hate my family, who hate my beliefs, to turn the other cheek. I would do it again."
"Some people are so miserable," a person commented
