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July 07, 2006
Cell Phone Rage In The Courtroom
Here are some more crazy judge antics, but of a different sort.
I can understand why this judge got so pissed about a cell phone going off during a case that he grabbed the phone from the elderly woman, walked to the door, opened it, and tossed the phone down the hall.
I had no idea that cell phones were such a problem in court houses. In one case described in the article, the defendant's cell phone went off while he was testifying.
Plus there are those annoying ring tones you have to listen to when the cell phone rings.
I won't talk on my phone when I'm driving. I can't do it. It's like walking and chewing gum to me. If I get a phone call while in traffic, I'll wait until I get to my destination, or I'll pull off to the shoulder, and then return the call. It's not illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving in Massachusetts. I think it's illegal in New York, but I'm not certain. I see people weaving all over the road or driving too slowly while they're gabbing away on their cell phones. I have one message for them:
Turn off the !@#$% cell phone, and drive your %$#@! car!!!
I'm sure lots of other people feel the same way.
Posted on July 7, 2006 at 02:22 PM | Permalink
Comments
Oh yes, definitely illegal in NY, but not in PA. I always finish my call before going across the border.
Posted by: silverside at Jul 7, 2006 3:03:58 PM
AUGH. big applause for that judge. so rude!
what i really loathe, manners-wise, is when someone is talking on the phone in a restaurant, oblivious to a real live other person sitting patiently (or not) across the table from hir.
So! Rude!
Posted by: belledame222 at Jul 7, 2006 8:46:28 PM
You think that's bad, a few weeks ago, some judge made these two feuding lawyers settle a deposition-venue dispute by playing a game of "rock, paper, scissors."!!
Posted by: Douglas, Friend of Osho at Jul 7, 2006 9:46:48 PM
Snatching something from an adult's hand goes beyond the scope of a judge's authority. I hope the appropriate governing body dings his judicial record for this.
That being said I hate self-important jerks who feel yapping away with someone who isn't present in the room with them whenever they please is an entitlement. If I wasn't worried about U.S. Customs I'd order one of those cell phone jammers from the U.K. The same company also makes larger jammers that can block an entire building, too. If only they were legal....
Movie theater yappers are the worst.
Posted by: Dennis at Jul 7, 2006 11:03:13 PM
You know, you're right of course. I'm sure I would've been horrified at that level of "respect mah auTHORitah!" in real life; it is creepy that the judge did that.
still i had to savor it as a fantasy for my own purposes. how many times would i have loved to simply pick up and throw phone and/or user across the room/train/restaurant/movie theatre?
and as noted, the worst is when they have those cutesy ringtones. besides everything else, they go on a lot longer than your basic ring, on account of it's *really important* that everyone get that ohhhh, that's Ode To Joy or Achy Breaky Heart or Stairway To Heaven or whatever the fuck it is. So clever! Thank you for sharing!
i seriously thought i was gonna lose my shit while Crazy Frog was still in vogue. AUGH
Posted by: belledame222 at Jul 8, 2006 9:17:35 AM
My default "leave a message" recording on my phone says; "I'll call you back as soon as I stop the car". I'm not always driving, of course, but I like to remind people it's a bad idea to phone and drive at the same time.
A study I saw recently found that cellphone conversations impact driving more seriously than conversations with people in the car. This is due to the slight time-delay of digital packet reassembly that is inherent in phone transmissions. The brain compensates by devoting extra attention to the out-of-synch conversation. Still waiting to see if this will be confirmed by other studies.
Posted by: decrepitoldfool at Jul 13, 2006 9:20:15 PM
I read about that study, decrepitoldfool (love the screen name). I knew I was right to not talk on the phone while I drive. It's too distracting.
Posted by: The Countess at Jul 13, 2006 9:32:51 PM
i don't like telling work stories online, but i can't resist this one:
a few years ago i had to defend a union representative who was accused of "assault" for throwing his briefcase against the wall in frustration during contract negotiations. the charge was B.S., it really just came out of the hostility between the parties from a contentius labor dispute.
anyway, we sat for about an hour waiting for our case to be called. we were supposed sit in silence while other cases were being heard, but my client kept trying to talk to me, and i kept trying to signal for him to shut up. i could tell the judge had noticed us and was getting annoyed. and then, the judge stopped the hearing of another defendant, and told my client to shut up. so i took my client out in the hall and explained to him that this same jusge was going to decide whether he was guilty or not and that he really should take the hint and shut the fuck up. my client said he understood and we went back into the courtroom
except that he didn't understand at all. he kept talking to me, even when i wouldn't respond. the judge noticed again, and again interrupted someone else's hearing to tell my client to be quiet. the judge also said that if my client disrupted the courtroom again she would hold him in contempt of court. i told my client to take another seat away from me in the courtroom in the hopes that he would not try to talk to me if he was sitting several rows behind me. he moved and i had a few minutes of peace.
then a telephone rang in the back of the courtroom. someone answered behind me and, in an extremely loud voice actually took the call and started talking on the phone about how boring it was to be waiting for his case to be called. i turned around and, sure enough, it was my client. he was held in contempt of court and fined. we also lost his case. i'm secretly glad we did.
Posted by: upyernoz at Jul 14, 2006 4:40:38 PM
completely illegal in australia! you arent even allowed to sms etc. too many people have been killed because of mobile phone use while driving :)
Posted by: bronwyn at Aug 2, 2006 12:32:36 PM
In our local district court cell phones are not allowed in the building. Signs to that effect are posted all over the grounds and the building.
If they are detected by the scanning device, the court officers ask people to leave and put them in their cars or they will be confiscated and returned to them when their business with the court is over.
Posted by: louw at Aug 2, 2006 9:28:44 PM
