Originally published at: Man curses at judge who responds with 93 days in jail leading to long tit-for-tat of "f-yous" and jail time (video) - Boing Boing
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I saw this yesterday. This video doesn’t show it, but the defendant was upset, it seemed to me, that this simple misdemeanor charge wasn’t just getting dealt with now instead of delaying it further. Which…I can’t blame him, but that’s just how courts work, unfortunately. Our criminal justice system is overloaded, largely because of the war on drugs, so there’s really no such thing as a speedy trial, even for a simple case. That being said, you just can’t talk to a judge like that. I do think the judge went too far. This guy has contempt charges adding up to 558 days in jail now, and that’s just excessive. It really is.
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about his suspended driver’s license
So the worst trouble I’ve been in was forgetting to pay a ticket, get pulled over later, and informed my license was suspended for that (as well as a warrant).
Doh.
I went to the original place I got my first ticket, paid it, and got a letter to send in to the state (That place was weird. They would not let you into the court house with your phone or computer. Sheriff dude running the metal detector was a dick about it. So I had to leave them in my trunk and hope for the best. They also had this crazy anti drug poster with some weird mascot. I wish I had my phone so I could have taken a pic of it!)
Anyway, so first ticket taken care of, paper work sent in that should re-instate my license.
I can’t remember if I had a 2nd speeding ticket, or if the cop just gave me a warning on that, but I had the ticket for driving while suspend - which on paper - can be a life altering charge. I decided to not fuck around with it and found a local lawyer who specialized in traffic tickets. I think it cost me like $300 bucks for him to handle it. On the day of the court case, he basically per-arranged for me to plea to some non-moving violation and pay a fine. My interaction with the judge was a few "yes"s. I remember her saying something that I felt was a bit condescending to me, something like, “I think this is a good outcome for you.”
Good outcome? Like this whole thing didn’t feel like extortion? I had to pay a guy so that you would let me plea down an offense and just pay a fine so you don’t ruin my life and take away my license? I guess that IS a good outcome considering the alternative. Thank you!
That whole time I was in line to pay the fine I was like, "Man, if I didn’t have access to that $300 (or what ever it was) for the lawyer I would be fucked. I have doubts that judge would have been so generous if I had gone in myself, said I was sorry, and showed that I paid the fine and got re-instated. (Maybe she would have, but did I want to take that chance if I didn’t have to?)
Anyway - TBC, It was my fault for not adulting and not paying the ticket. But the system seems too damn perilous over traffic tickets.
Yeah, that’s ridiculous. I hope it’s reduced when cooler heads review it.
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That’s not weird. That’s typical. I don’t know where you were then, but I know you’re in the KC area, and I know for a fact, because I’ve been in there, that the Jackson County Courthouse in Independence won’t let you enter with a cellphone or laptop.
FYI, this guy was not in court for a suspended license. That was the previous guy who appeared in the same judge’s court via Zoom from inside his car, while driving it…on a suspended license. This guy was in court on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
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I swear the last time I went to the court house in Independence to pay a ticket, I put my laptop bag and phone in the scanner. I do remember seeing signs that said no cell phones in the court room and turned mine off. But maybe they are different there OR they changed it since then. (Or I could be misremembering, but the fact that I recall that place as “weird” was because I hadn’t had to do it in the past.)
Ironically, as I was at the counter a guy came up with a cellphone, but I assumed he was a lawyer and they make exceptions for them.
Doh - making assumptions!
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You got off light man. I forgot to make a court appearance for driving an unregistered vehicle and moved out of the area I was in. 10 years later I get pulled over in a routine stop for a loud muffler and it turns out I’d had a bench warrant for my arrest all that time. Was pulled over on a Friday evening with no one to bail me, so I spent the weekend in county lock-up until they could get me in front of the judge. Ended up paying the traffic ticket, and the impound fee for my car, and the cost of a taxi ride from the lock-up to my home. Around a grand altogether.
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Oh, come ON, Michigan parents, you’re not even trying!
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It reminds me of this real-life court transcript that was reenacted by Justin Roiland back before he got fired from Rick and Morty for being a creep.
(Warning: the language does include some homophobic name calling.)
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Yikes, I hope the judge reconsiders. Darrell’s conduct was really rude, but not $80,000 rude, which is what imprisoning him for 2 years will cost us lowly taxpayers. Plus likely ruin his life and the lives of some people around him.
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These courtroom videos are all over youtube. I’m guessing because it’s easy content for reposting and it’s all public domain by definition. They’re quite fun to watch as a kind of soap opera, there’s a lot of drama and comedy. But when you remember they’re all real people, probably facing the worst day of their lives, they’re not so easy to sit through
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Sheesh. I THINK I also has a bench warrant, but I guess the guy didn’t want to take me in for that? I dunno. Yeah, if they decided to make my life worse, they certainly could have!
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Making assumptions makes an ass out of you and an umptions out of me… 
Is that right?
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