April 20, 2005

Sleepy Juror Gets Rude Awakening

Juror No. 2386 had been sitting in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for two days, waiting to be grilled by lawyers, when he let out a loud yawn.

"You yawned rather audibly there. As a matter of fact, it was to the point that it was contemptuous," said Superior Court Judge Craig Veals, who was presiding over jury selection for an attempted murder trial.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really bored," the juror replied.

"I'm sorry?" the judge responded, and the juror repeated his statement.

The judge called his attitude "lousy." "Your boredom just cost you $1,000…. I'm finding you in contempt," Veals said, according to an April 1 court transcript. "Are you quite so bored now?"

After the juror balked at paying the $1,000, Veals slashed the fine to $100, but not before the juror had spent up to two hours detained in a jury assembly room.

Ouch! Details here from the Los Angeles Times.

Posted by John at April 20, 2005 8:25 AM
Comments

that freakin' judge is a jackass and definitly on a power trip. he needs removed from the bench. period. s.u.j.

Posted by: moses at April 21, 2005 10:37 PM

This judge has a "God" complex. Of course the juror was bored. After two days of waiting around while the judge has lunch with his cronies the juror was legitimately bored.

After admitting such, the truth and nothing but the truth, the judge is pissed and slams him/her with a contempt charge.

Judges like this should never have been let on the bench. They are the antithesis of justice in American society.

Posted by: gordo at October 4, 2006 10:35 PM