Woman jailed after cell phone disrupts courtroom

Jail is for the contemptable.

I hold the judge in contempt. Put him in jail. Jail is for criminals. The judge should be removed from the bench, he is unfit.

The lack of public decorum has spread to Free Republic.

New here?

Well, yes. It takes a lot more than five or ten seconds of a little bell sound to rock my world. In any case, if I were a judge I wouldn't send you to jail over it.

My only point being --- some people have turned the cell phone into a physical extension of their being. They view this Judge as "unreasonable" because everybody needs their cell phones.

By asking about my alarm clock I was trying to gauge whether or not you thought people ought to have the right to be disruptive in a court of law. I view cell phones ringing to be just as disruptive as alarm clocks. The issue is the disruption, not what fancy electronic device is causing the disruption.

As to whether the judge over-reacted by labeling the in-court disruption to be "contempt", the article simply does not provide enough information to make a determination.

I believe it is the Judge's responsibility and duty to maintain decorum in the courtroom. If I had to appear in court someday, I know I would expect a professional level of decorum.

Perhaps it is just the reaction to the self-centeredness of cell phone users who will not turn off their phones under any circumstance. When in a movie theatre, turn off the dang phone.

I understand that some people's little worlds are shattered very easily, but that's no excuse to act like a lunatic.

"I understand that some people's little worlds are shattered very easily, but that's no excuse to act like a lunatic."

True enough. So in your view, who is the lunatic? (I view someone who cannot live without their cell phone for the amount of time it takes to view a movie as a lunatic.)

"So in your view, who is the lunatic? (I view someone who cannot live without their cell phone for the amount of time it takes to view a movie as a lunatic.)"

People forget to turn off phones, big whoop. And maybe there was a reason the phone was left on other than they just "can't live without it". Jeez.

"People forget to turn off phones, big whoop."

I agree. In this particular case, I believe the judge should have warned her. I have no qualms about politely 'warning' a guy in a movie theatre, etc. to turn off his phone. (Of course, if he doesn't, but just keeps chatting away on it while the movie is playing, I will no longer be polite.)

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