What Kind of Fool am I?

So I am pleased to be able to announce today that several other fellows also have a fool for a client - see here, here and here.

Followed the links. What he actually did is stop being a fool and got himself some new counsel. Of course, these are motions; while it's a sure thing that Songer will be accepted as his counsel, it's not a sure thing about Kornstein and Platt. Still, good move on his part.

Instead, I'm an out-of-control full-bore crazy who's lawyered up to the hilt. This will leave me free to concentrate on my core activities of insulting judges and mocking Mann's self-conferred Nobel Prize, while Dan, Mark and Mike do the boring stuff like looking up precedents and knowing what a tort is.

*headdesk* Steyn. Steyn. STEYN. Listen to Songer and shut UP about the judges! The last thing you want to do is tick off the dang judge! Don't make this any harder for your attorneys!

My father had a story about when he was waiting to be called as professional expert in one of the many trials he participated in. As this heart surgeon is being deposed on the stand, the heart surgeon gets irate at the amount of questions he's being asked and goes "Is this going to take any longer? I've got real work to do."

Judge tells him to confine himself to answering the questions and it'll take as long as it takes. Surgeon starts giving the judge hassle, about how he's a big fancy heart surgeon and his work saves lives and how he's wasting his time when he could be saving lives.

Judge gets tired of his whining and goes "Contempt of court. 3 days."

Surgeon gets all horrified and says "You can't do that! I have surgeries scheduled for tomorrow!

Judge goes, "Arguing with me? Contempt of court. 30 days. Bailiff?"

Off goes the surgeon to the jail in the arms of the bailiff, talking about how they can't do this the whole way. My dad put it succinctly: "In the courtroom, the judge is God. Don't tick off God."

Steyn would be very wise to not tick off God in the courtroom.

Bravo Mark! Fighting the good fight.

That judge should be disbarred.

@ifinnegan:

That judge should be disbarred.

For what reason? The surgeon was in the wrong, there. There's no Bar Association in existence that would have a judge disbarred for that reason. Or even removed from office. Witnesses do not get to order around a judge - or the prosecution.

I don’t think a working heart surgeon (or anyone for that matter) should be jailed for 30 days for being rude or disrespectful.

That the Bar Asociations would turn a blind eye to such an abuse of power on a judge’s part only serves to illustrate the basis for Steyn’s observation on the evilness he is encountering.

Followed the links. What he actually did is stop being a fool and got himself some new counsel. Of course, these are motions; while it's a sure thing that Songer will be accepted as his counsel, it's not a sure thing about Kornstein and Platt. Still, good move on his part.

You haven't a clue. . . Steyn is entitled to whomever he CHOOSES to be his counsel. These are pro forma notifications to the court of who is representing him. The court cannot veto his choices. Check your Constitution.

@ifinnegan:

I don’t think a working heart surgeon (or anyone for that matter) should be jailed for 30 days for being rude or disrespectful.

Well, contempt of court and the punishment thereof is absolutely at the discretion of the judge in most jurisdictions. If we want to limit that, we have to get those laws changed.

That the Bar Asociations would turn a blind eye to such an abuse of power on a judge’s part only serves to illustrate the basis for Steyn’s observation on the evilness he is encountering.

The only cure for that is to remove discretion from the laws. There are definite pros and cons to that.

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@Swordmaker:

You haven't a clue. . . Steyn is entitled to whomever he CHOOSES to be his counsel. These are pro forma notifications to the court of who is representing him. The court cannot veto his choices. Check your Constitution.

A Motion For Admission Pro Hac Vice, as Steyn had issued for Kornstein and Platt, is not an automatic admission to counsel. A Motion For Admission Pro Hac Vice may be refused by the court, leaving him only Songer, as per the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. It is at the judge's discretion. I do not expect the judge to deny it, but it can happen.

No.

Judges who aren’t egomaniacs and full of them selves would be the solution.

Your story is also apocryphal, just some story your Dad told you.

We are probably talking about a non-issued.