RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell phone(true story)

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 3:06:33 PM

kittinSol

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Stephann

I heard this on NPR.

Personally, I'm of the belief that in a judge's courtroom, the judge is damn near to king as we can get in a democracy.

If I post a sign on my door saying "NO CELL PHONES" and a cell phone goes off, and nobody admits to who it is, I'd chuck the lot of my guests out.

It's not just the guy who didn't admit it; it's the guy in front of, behind, to his left, and to his right that aren't admitting to it.

Stephan

And in a democracy, the judge could be a woman. In which case, SHE'd be a QUEEN in HER own courtroom.

PS: there's something out there called a 'cell phone jammer': it basically blocks out the waves which enable phones to receive and emit the signals that allow for communication.

< Message edited by kittinSol -- 11/30/2007 3:14:47 PM >

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 3:08:18 PM

sambamanslilgirl

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i would be pointing out the general direction where the phone was ringing ...i'm not going to sit silently while the offender with the ringing phone gets away.

yep, i'm a snitch too.

< Message edited by sambamanslilgirl -- 11/30/2007 3:10:05 PM >

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 3:11:44 PM

SeeksOnlyOne

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well, he would have been able to lock me up for disturbing the peace and maybe assault, because i would have been tellin folks someone better fess up or there was gonna be hell to pay.....

cellphones irritate the shit out of me anyhow.....i hope he gets his job back.

been in court, during some emotional testimony, when a camera mans cell went off. the judge stopped everything immediately, and the cameraman and one pissed off reporter were told to leave asap......was also at the funeral of my dearest friends 25 yo son, when one went off......thing was, it irritated the shit out of us, she was so deep in grief, she didnt even hear it....

sighs

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 3:16:12 PM

Kana

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I don't know about any other states but in Maryland its against the law to have a cell phone in a courtroom. It has to do with the fact that they are recording devices.

I think arresting everyone is a bit much (I am an anarchist and a revolutionary after all) but I have to say if I were a judge and all day long phones were going off in my courtroom I would be pissed too.
Did he overstep his boundaries, sure.Unless I am mistaken there is a law against being held illegally without a charge
Removal from the bench might be a bit much though.

One question that goes through my head is,
If they arrested the courtroom, did they arrest the security guards too?

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 3:29:33 PM

laurell3

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Here direct contempt is a charge that can be implemented by the Court without a prosecutor filing a charge when it occurs in open court. However, obviously a large majority of the people incarcerated were not guilty of anything other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He clearly violated their constitutional rights by having them detained and I would not at all be suprised if a number of lawsuits don't follow his removal. Whether it's a criminal charge or not is questionable as he has the power to detain and most of the laws against false imprisionment specifically exclude such people, however, clearly it is a violation of their rights and civil cases could be filed against him.

Removal from the bench is not too much. Judges that do not have the judicial demeanor to withstand personal pressures and PROTECT people's rights have no business being in that position. The fact that this guy was having a bad day is irrelevant. Everyone that comes before him with very few exeptions are having a bad day and experiencing a signficant life event. Even if the person confessed that had the cell phone on would have come forward, it's questionable whether incarceration for a simple mistake would be apprpriate. Clearly, the guy is over the edge or has a serious superiority complex and his removal is necessary. It's unlikely, however, that he will lose his license to practice law over such an incident.

Like attorneys Judges have ethical standards to uphold. They are not demigods. This guy clearly didn't follow any with his tantrum.

< Message edited by laurell3 -- 11/30/2007 3:30:40 PM >

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 3:34:10 PM

Raechard

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Some people don’t seem to mind that so few hold so much power until events like this take place. There should have been more vocal protest from the people; 46 people being controlled by how many bailiffs?
Is false imprisonment a crime in the US that has a custodial sentence that goes with it?
Why is signal blocking technology not used in such places as people will always forget to switch off phones?

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 11:35:03 PM

Termyn8or

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Some people don't know how important a court case can be.

T

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RE: Judge jails entire court room,over ringing cell pho... - 11/30/2007 11:56:52 PM

kirby104

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So, if one is a law-abiding citizen and turns off the cell phone, yet is jailed for another's cell phone ringing.
Then the person IS GUILTY for not making sure everyone's cell phones are turned off.
Welcome to hell; this is America.

quote:

ORIGINAL: sambamanslilgirl

*applause for the judge*

i would have done the same thing. in courtrooms here, you are ordered to turn off ALL electronic devices before entering the courtroom or you will be jailed for contempt of court. believe me - the bailiffs here don't play if they catch you chatting on the phone and/or have a cellphone ringing in court.

the judge did the right thing

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