"Court Case Friday" The best new judges have experience in the field of law in which they are presiding, and experience in court handling hearings and trials. New judges who lacked such expertise can be a disaster. One of our new judges was a city government official. He did not practice law, and he had … Continue reading Another Bizarre Court Ruling – Small Claims Auto Accident
"Court Case Friday" Over the years, I have hosted dozens of court tours for youth groups. My Bailiff seats the group in the jury box and at the counsel table. I then give a 10-15 minute talk, sharing my most entertaining and humorous court case “war stories.” One afternoon, I had a large group of … Continue reading Kids Keep Adults, even Judges, Humble
Court Case Friday ("Juneteenth" Weekend) Bad news – good news. The bad news is that I have witnessed overt racial and ethnic prejudice in my courtroom. The good news is that, during my 33 years on the bench, it has occurred only a few times among thousands of cases. Case One – The Jewish … Continue reading Cases of Prejudice in My Court
"Court Case Friday" I try to be respectful to everyone who comes before me in court, even the criminals. I am mindful that we are all brothers and sisters, children of a Heavenly Father. Plus, when I learn of their childhood backgrounds, I am humbled and feel blessed. “But for the grace of God there … Continue reading Harsh comment by a sentencing judge
"Court Case Friday" They say, “Confession is good for the soul.” Here are 4 embarrassing episodes when I publicly demonstrated my ignorance of modern technology. Round One: “You Can’t Hurt the Computer” Shortly after becoming a judge, I needed to learn how to use the court computer. My first court computer had a … Continue reading “Fight of the Century:” Me “the Dinosaur” versus the Court Computers
“Spite”: "deliberately trying to hurt someone, even when there is nothing to gain, and even when it involves harm to self." Ultra-Orthodox Wedding Orthodox Wedding In 1986, a Jewish couple were married in an orthodox ceremony is Israel. They were married for nine years, and they had four children together. Marriage Nightmare The husband was … Continue reading “Extreme Spite” — The Man Who Willfully Spent 19 Years in an Israeli Prison Rather Than Agree to Divorce
As a rookie prosecutor, I set the dubious record of successfully prosecuting an eight-year-old boy for felony residential burglary. The boy had been arrested for and charged with residential burglary, a straight felony. He was accused of opening the front door, entering an apartment, and stealing money from the tenant's purse while she was at … Continue reading I Prosecuted an 8-Year-Old Child for Felony Burglary
In law school we discussed a criminal case where the defendant faced the death penalty based on his use of the ambiguous phrase, “Let him have it!” In 1952, in England, Derek Bentley, and his 16-year-old companion, Christopher Craig decided to break into and steal from a candy company warehouse. Bentley had a set of … Continue reading He was Hung for Saying, “Let Him Have It.”
(Before the trolls, bubble-poppers, and nitpickers criticize my use of the politically incorrect “drunk” in the title, they should read the entire story, where it will be explained.) We get a lot of homeless alcoholics in our courthouse in rich Newport Beach, California. Many of these folks sleep, and hang out, on the bluffs overlooking … Continue reading “My Favorite Homeless Drunk”
We have outstanding full-time certified court interpreters in Orange County. Our staff interpreters are primarily Spanish and Vietnamese. Orange County has a wonderfully diverse population. I regularly have certified on-call interpreters in my court who speak Mandarin, Persian, Arabic, Russian, Romanian, Samoan, Tongan, Tagalog, and Sign Language. It is very difficult to become certified as a court … Continue reading “Unpredictable” and “Problem” Court Interpreters
The London Edition 