Here in Louisiana, there's a political phenomenon known as "The Court House Crowd." It's a political/social/professional/family consisting of the local Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Tax Assessor, District Attorney, Judges, Attorneys, their employees and other assorted strap-hangers. It has been around for many decades. I suspect other states have similar setups in their counties as we do in our parishes.
This DukeLax thing was never supposed to get out of control like it has. Someone was supposed to have flipped and tied up the case nice and neat...
Do prostitutes weigh in that crowd?