Tales from the Courthouse

Prior to law school, I wanted to dip my toes into the legal industry's waters to make sure that was actually what I wanted to do in my life. As part of this, I interned for a judge and DA's office in my area (not at the same time, that would be an issue). I had no idea what I was doing and it was amazing.

One of the items that comes along with being in a legal job is that there are certain things you need to keep confidential perpetually. However, there is also the polar opposite of what needs to be confidential: Things said in open court. Those, I am free to share. So here are some of the weirdest and funniest moments I had the pleasure of witnessing during my internships.

1. Top Judge

The hierarchy of the judges in my town was a little strange. The top judge, called the "County Judge" was more of an administrative role than an actual sitting judge. Unlike the other judgeship positions, you didn't even have to be an attorney to be eligible for the position. However, the actual highest judge in the county didn't even have the title.

One day, I am sitting in court watching a criminal trial. I forget the charge, but there was an objection that raised a particularly odd point of law. The judge was stumped on how to rule.

Enter an older fellow (we'll call him Mr. X) who worked in the district attorney's office (aka prosecutors). The only reason this gentleman was not a judge was because they are elected positions. This individual refused to run on the Republican ticket (which was a guaranteed loss in the area).

The judge asked both sides if it would be okay to get Mr. X's opinion on the issue. The prosecution obviously had no problem. However, the defense attorney also acquiesced, saying "If Mr. X says so, we will follow it."

That day, Mr. X was the top judge in the county.

2. Family Court is Wild

The judge I interned with covered felony criminal cases as well as civil cases. However, one of the areas of law outside her purview was that of family law. My judge told me one day to spend a day in family court to see if it was anything that interested me.

The one thing on the calendar for that day was a couple that was seeking a divorce. If I were the judge, I would have granted it right there if I could! I have seen murder trials that were more civil. Both parties could not stop interrupting and screaming at each other from everything about their sex life to the husband's risky investment strategies. The usual hold that a judge has over order in the courtroom went out the window.

The people who love practicing family law absolutely love it. I don't get it.

3. The Post-It Note® Conviction

We do not have much sympathy for sex-offenders in this country. And some of that is absolutely deserved. However, they are still people too.

The defendant in question here was a convicted rapist that served something like 30 years in prison for his crime. As a condition of release, the defendant needed to check in with an officer every so often.

One day, the defendant wrote down the wrong date for his check in on a post-it note. So, he didn't show up when he was supposed to. The next day, police accosted him from his job and threw him back in jail.

He was sentenced to two years. For accidentally missing an appointment. Have as little sympathy for sex offenders as you want, but it doesn't change the fact that a post-it note (which was entered into evidence and everything) caused someone to be sentenced to jail for two years.