On January 30, 1974, a young woman, who shall remain nameless, was arrested for prostitution. Having solicited a police officer (doh!), she sought a sentence of probation. Magistrate Judge Richard J. Rome complied. Unfortunately, he also issued the following Memorandum Decision: This is the saga of ___ ___ ___, Whose…
Mr. Smith (that’s his name, really) was sentenced to 21 years for six drug offenses. He requested a new trial, fired his lawyer, and represented himself at the hearing on his request for a new trial. Mr. Smith’s “first use of profanity occurred when he used the word ‘fuck,’ apparently…
Certainly a Judge must control the courtroom. How a Judge may do this, not surprisingly, is determined by the law. One tool is the power to hold someone in contempt. [Hint: It’s a power used, a lot, below.] According to the Supreme Court, if the sentence imposed for contempt is…
Attorneys are ethically bound to zealously represent their clients. Clients hire lawyers to do just that. And judges apply the laws as written, except those darned activist judges (which is all of them, depending, of course, on who you ask.) Down in Florida, William Grisham found himself charged with assault.…
And some folks say civility no longer exists in the legal profession. In the case of Avista Management, Inc. v. Wausau Underwriters Insurance Co., Judge Presnell (United States District Court – Florida – Orlando Division) would no doubt agree. The attorneys in the case, whose offices are in the same…
You be the judge. Over a period of years, Florida Judge Sheldon Schapiro engaged in the following conduct [which he admitted to in a Stipulation submitted to the Court] which is set forth in the Florida Supreme Court’s opinion. A motorcyclist killed a child and fled the scene. At the…
OUCH! is a very mild reaction to the words “Lorena Bobbit.” (If you’re too young to know who she is, click here.) Things were not going well for our featured couple. As the court described it: Terry Bach and Carol Crawford were in a relationship for over ten years and…
Ms. Lowe [cue the villain music] was driving Mr. Moffet’s car (insured by State Farm) when [warning: tree violence] it struck and damaged Mr. Fisher’s “beautiful oak tree.” Naturally, the tree [okay Mr. Fisher] filed suit. Losing at the trial level, the tree appealed. Read the decision of the Michigan…