"Court Case Friday" I had a prisoner in my courtroom charged with felony transportation and sale of a drug. It was a new designer drug I hadn’t seen before. It had a very long technical name. I started to advise him of the charges: “You are charged with felony transportation and sale of drugs: to … Continue reading Prisoner Tells the Judge How to Pronounce the Name of the Illegal Drug
“Then one of them, which was a lawyer asked [Jesus] a question, tempting him, saying Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" (v. 35) Significantly, the question was asked by a lawyer. Lawyers are experts in the law. They are masters of entrapping people through cross-examination. This lawyer was not asking Jesus a … Continue reading Christ’s Greatest Miracle – Silencing the Lawyers (Matthew 22:35-46)
There seems to be a never ending dumb criminals. Of course, "we don't catch the smart ones." I had a prisoner in the “cage” in my courtroom who was a neo-Nazi-Aryan-Brotherhood type racist. He was covered with white supremacist tattoos. I confess that I have very little tolerance for racists gangs. They are often mean, … Continue reading Racist Criminal and Karma
One of my scariest experiences took place when I was a new deputy district attorney working at the Orange County Juvenile Courthouse. My office door was closed and I was seated at my desk working on cases. Suddenly, without knocking, a woman flung open the door and quickly stepped into my office unannounced. She … Continue reading The Day I Was Almost Murdered
When criminal defendants appear in my court by themselves, I ask, “Do you have an attorney?” Most defendants request a continuance, so they can hire a lawyer, or they ask me to appoint the public defender to represent them. Occasionally, I get a defendant who stands erect and proudly proclaims, “God is my lawyer!” or … Continue reading “Jesus is My Lawyer”
Just about everyone who knows me well, knows that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most Orange County attorneys who regularly appear in my court know I’m LDS. I was presiding over a driving under the influence (DUI) jury trial. We were selecting the jury. The clerks, bailiff, reporter, … Continue reading The LDS Juror and The Clueless Lawyer
The London Edition 