I’ve spoken to some legal experts on this event, and they said while the way it played out was very unusual, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for a judge to ask the defendant if they will be taking the stand in their defense.
Had it been me in Zimmerman’s suit, I would’ve politely told the judge that I defer to my legal team to answer that. She can’t hold him in contempt for deferring to his counsel.
Some legal eagles have said that the judge did this to close any real or perceived “loopholes” concerning Zimmerman’s right to testify in his defense. If he’s convicted and on appeal the defense stated that the judge would not let him testify in his own defense, it would be grounds for dismissal. However, since the judge basically closed that avenue for appeal, they’d have to rely on any of the myriad other injustices committed during this trial.
This makes me glad there are cameras in the court room, because that’s Zimmerman’s only evidence of all of this for a mistrial / appeal later, if he’s found guilty.