For Potential Juror, 'Honest' Response to Judge Backfires (Outrageous!)

NY Times ^ | 7-2-05 | ANDREW JACOBS

[bwteim]

This judge likes yelling matches.

http://www.cybercase.org/81701.html

"These efforts failed. And in May, gearing up for the retrial, a hearing before Justice Wetzel seemed to produce the same dynamics as at the first trial. In a yelling match with the new defense lawyer, Paul F. Callan, Justice Wetzel threatened to arrest him for contempt."

[DJ Taylor]

It's pretty obvious that the criminal had more friends in that court room than the juror had.

[Liberty Wins]

Now he's been mugged four times.

[muir_redwoods]

"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth"

unless it offends someone.

[miele man]

If I write this "judge" and tell him I think he is contemptible, will he hold me in contempt? I'd like to see him try.

[muawiyah]

Yes, the judge too ~ all those words!

Guy's soft on crime and criminals for sure. The prosecutor should be demanding a new judge about now.

[hershey]

Notice how sex fiends and murderers are called 'gentlemen' and Mr. So and So, on tv? Ordinary people, including the President of the US are called by their last name. This really annoys me.

[Prince Caspian]

Judge "Wetzelf"

[enuf]

You know how folks used say "just say you think he is guilty" and you will be excused, well I witnessed it during the jury selection process a few years back. It was actually pretty humorous. It was an old man when asked if he thought he could be fair and impartial responded with "I think he is guilty" and "I think his lawyeris a crook too" it was hilarious! It was entertaining to watch the lawyer defend himself before the judge excused the man. The downside (or upside if you wanted on the jury) was everyone was dismissed, due to the lawyers complaining that the old man "contaminated" the potential jury pool.

[MudSlide]

I hope Judge Weasel gets held up at gunpoint and soon.

See what he thinks of Scumbags then

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

Late Nite with david Letterman, November 14, 1990

Top 10 Ways To Get Out of Jury Duty


10. Bring note from Rusty the bailiff.
9. Ask if you get to execute criminals personally.
8. Keep saying very loudly, "Hey -- who's frying baloney?"
7. Every five minutes point to different person in courtroom and yell, "He did it!"
6. Say you're looking forward to hearing judge sing -- like on "Cop Rock."
5. Ask if there will be opportunities to examine bloody undershirts.
4. Fly into a rage whenever Norwegians are mentioned.
3. Respond to every question, "Let me talk to the little man who lives in my pants."
2. Tell them you've already done jury duty on "Matlock."
1. Ask the judge if he's wearing Aramis.

[balch3]

Here's his bio. This guy needs Freeping. No contact address listed, but maybe some sleuth can take it from there.

[Honcho Bongs]

If you want to see a judge go ballistic and use you as an example, mention jury nullification during voir dire and explain that the jurors are the most important people in the courtroom and not the judge.

Guaranteed to get you out of jury duty whether or not you want to serve.

[Oztrich Boy]

Especially if you really mean it.

But that strikes at the heart of the whole judicial system. Nobody is supposed to really be honest about what they say in court (well apart fronm the witnesses, and what do they know?).

[balch3]

Oops. Here it is.

http://www4.law.com/ny/courts/docs/ny/bios/wetzel.htm

[Tigen]

Democrats make up half of the nation so I figure he must be one!
I had a boss once I told this to and he said I was right and have a good day...
8-)

[savedbygrace]

"I have been held up three times at gunpoint," he said according to transcripts, adding, "I am already looking at him; I think he is a scumbag."

The judge quickly sized him up as an easy mark, and decided to be the man's fourth hold-up artist, but the first to do so without using his own gun.

[Vision Thing]

Easy... I'd like to see a replay. Making an ourtrageously biased statement could very easily be taken as a way of avoiding jury duty.

Yeah right.

Try to understand the following words, which are taken directly from the article:

"That is an insult not only to him, but to the other people in the room and me," Judge Wetzel said . . .

The judge makes it clear that he is acting on his feelings of being insulted, not because he detects that Caruso is trying to avoid jury duty.

[hosepipe]

Judge = Ambulance chaser with delusions of grandeur.. that wears neckties to hold the foreskin down..

[Mad Dawg]

OKay, I"m afraid to rasie this question, but what the hey:

Isn't "scumbag" an obscenity? Isn't it an especially nasty way of saying "condom", or "used condom"? I could be wrong -- often am.

But if I'm right about the word, then isn't the guy in the jury pool using obscene language in court? He certainly doesn't literally mean the guy is a used condom. He means something like, "He's a contemptible, dirty, immoral person."

So I'm wondering if the judge isn't reacting to the obscenity.

I was sort of amused recently in court when a defendant was one of those folks who uses the f-word like punctuation, or like a particle in Greek. "The [effing] guy said.'Eff this,' and hit me in the effing face, so I hit the effer."

The judge looked bemused ....