Even if it is dismissed, it will, undoubtedly, be “dismissed without predjudice”, meaning that nothing prevents it being refiled by an attorney licensed to practice in that Federal District Court.

It’s unlkely that Tarik Hashmi didn’t know the rules. What’s likely is that he knew the rules and chose to ignore them, believing he wouldn’t get nailed for it. He’s probably been violating bar rules for years and this is the first anyone has challenged him.

As a pro se litigant I’ve had the same experience multiple times in challenging the legal standing of judges (and attorneys). When I dig into a judge’s records I’ve often discovered that they’re disqualified from sitting on the bench, or at the very least from hearing my case. In such cases it’s easy to get them to recuse themselves. Most of the time I don’t even have to file a petition. They just do it as soon as they hear from their clerk that I’m asking for things they’re legally required to have on file, e.g. their oath of office, proof of bond, etc. In one situation my case was dismissed because I’d gone through every judge in the district (state court). They’d all recused themselves for failure to meet the legal requirements to sit on the bench.

I like for judges and attorneys to obey the law. The public generally, and falsely, believes they do obey the law. Experience tells me they usually don’t. All it takes is some digging to prove it.

Will Hashmi be sanctioned for it? Not by a federal district judge. If he gets sanctioned it will be because a few of the Defendants in the case file Bar Grievances with the Florida State Bar. Even if the Bar doesn’t sanction him, just having to answer a Bar Grievance is a major pain for any attorney. The Defendants should file their grievances separately, as each Grievance must be responded to separately (more time and work for the attorney).

They may also want to file grievances with the Florida State Attorney General’s office. Practicing law without a license in any state is a serious matter. The rules vary state to state, and I’m unfamiliar with Florida Bar rules, but Federal District Court rules tend to complement, and not conflict with, the State Bar rules of the state in which the Federal District Court has jurisdiction. As such, more than likely, since the Federal District Court in Florida requires a Florida resident attorney to be licensed to practice in Florida, the State probably has the same requirement, even if that attorney never practices in any Florida State court (I hope that’s not confusing).

As far as Florida residency, but not being licensed by the Florida State Bar thing goes, it’s not uncommon to declare residency to be in one state but retain your business licenses (or bar license) and operate your business in another state. Attorneys and politicians do it quite often. George H.W. Bush claimed his residency in Texas while he was president and, to my knowledge, still does so using his son’s address. He hasn’t lived in Texas for years. He does for for tax advantages.