Gothamist: Jurors Can't Have Potty Mouths

Samantha T

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 13:28:01 -0500

Our jury system means nothing without evenhanded jurors. The judge was right to punish this guy. I love how the dude's lawyer is alleging bias on the judge's part - I guess his Honor doesn't like the looks of those "scumbag" bankers, huh?

hijiki

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 10:19:22 -0500

um yeah, 30 days in jail for saying 'scumbag' seems appropriate... for north korea.

areacode212

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 16:13:01 -0500

I wonder if he was just trying to put on some kind of Punisher-like persona for the judge, so he could get out of jury duty.

Johnie

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 14:48:57 -0500

Bah.. Have the judge spend a day on the trading floor and he'll see that "scumbag" is probably the cleanest word he'll hear all day...

dhex

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 14:42:15 -0500

yes, indeed. that'll show him! i mean, that's grounds for dismissal from the jury - which he clearly should not be sitting on - but being fined for calling someone a scumbag is a bit much. being robbed a few times will do that to ya.

Mike B.

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 14:03:02 -0500

The courtroom is a very bad place to use insulting language. A very, very, very bad place. Intelligent people (and people who have ever watched Judge Judy) understand this. I don't especially care whether idiots get the book thrown at them. This one wasn't even provoked; he just concluded the defendant was guilty by virtue of having been accused, passed moral judgment and said it out loud. Maybe after thirty days he won't shoot his fool mouth off anymore.

NO

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:37:21 -0500

Oh who hasn't gotten robbed in New Orleans.

Captain Midnight

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:14:24 -0500

Your Honor, if I may approach the bench: Go **** yourself and get off your ******* soapbox. Judges like you are nothing but a bunch of ******** who get off on power trips. Come out onto the streets and see if your high and mighty positions mean ****.

Barry Popik

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:09:01 -0500

Personally, I think the judge was wrong for asking this juror's honest opinion, and then assessing penalties based on just one offensive/objectionable word. ... I can't find my "scumbag" notes right now, but it dates from the 1920s and was widely used in New York City. In Icelandic slang, a "scumbag" is a diaper. The late Columbia professor Allen Walker Read found "scumbag" in his classic research on American graffiti.

S.D.

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:08:11 -0500

Too Funny! His "Honesty" should have yielded to his diplomacy...

Scott

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:00:26 -0500

Get a date, loser.

adamks

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 12:48:29 -0500

after the juror called a suspect a "scumbug." proofread, dammit.